Just Friends
by MrsMalfoy18
Summary: Hermione makes an unlikely encounter after a ball, but could it lead to something more?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! Gosh it's been so long. And I've written a bit but haven't been able to post anything, w** **ho knew you'd have to do actual work in college!** **Anyways, here's a little something, and there will be more to come in the next few weeks. Much like the others, I'm not sure if I should continue it or not, just putting them out there as feelers. I love reading your feedback on these so don't be shy! As always thank you all for reading and following my stories :) Please enjoy~**

"What's wrong?" Seriously? _Seriously_? Of all people it had to be Draco. She quickly wiped her tears, rationalizing that once he realized who he was talking to, he'd go away. She turned, eyes probably still puffy, and said politely, "I was just getting some air." To her surprise he didn't recoil in disgust. Instead, he cleared his throat rather awkwardly. "It didn't quite look that way." Although he didn't look at her when he said it. And his voice was so soft she could barely make out the words. She took a few steps towards him. "I'm sorry," she paused, unsure of what to do, "I'm sorry, just…are you talking to me?" this time it was she who cleared her throat. Draco squinted. "No one else outside, is there Granger." He seemed to spit out the words as he mumbled. Hermione blinked a few times, still slightly confused at this sudden twist of character.

She crossed her arms. "Why are you talking to me?" she suddenly got suspicious. Draco leaned over the balcony, twisting his thumbs around over the edge. "I don't know the answer to that Granger. You're the smart one, not me." With a sudden burst of courage she leaned against the balcony with him, noting how this was the closest physically they had ever been. Except for the time she had slapped him a few years ago. "I'm not that smart." She whispered, though she did not know why. Draco exhaled. She looked at the sky.

"You look," he cleared his throat, "good. In that. The dress. You should wear dressed more often." At this she was completely taken aback. It must have shown on her face because Draco then chuckled. "You must think me daft," he said, again not looking at her, "tell me what you're thinking. I'd quite like to know."

She paused, collecting her thoughts. "My first thought is polyjuice potion. Perhaps you're just Harry trying to have some fun." Draco gave a nod. "Plausible," he said, "But Harry is inside dancing with Ginny." He motioned to one of the floor to ceiling windows on the far right. Hermione nodded to show consensus. "Another thought is that you're here because you lost some sort of bet. This is all a ruse. Although that doesn't seem likely." She said. "May I ask why not?" He leaned in, genuinely curious. "Because you don't seem like the losing type." She explained simply. He gave a light chuckle. "Very well. Do go on."

"I suppose that only leaves one option. That you were genuinely concerned for my well-being. Although that sounds just as unlikely as the former." Draco didn't say anything, and they stayed in quiet for a while, staring out into the gardens. "May I ask again, why this seems unlikely." When he said it he did not look at her, but kept his eyes out into the gardens, his hands clasped, hanging over the balcony. Hermione looked at him, somewhat shocked, and swallowed hard before giving her answer. "Because I'm a mudblood." The grimace on her face was undeniable, and her answer was cold, but soft.

She said it so quietly, and they stood in silence for so long, that she was unsure whether or not he had heard her. Either way she did not feel like repeating herself.

Draco winced at her words, and he wasn't sure whether or not he flinched, but it would have been impossible for her not to have felt him do so. They were, by now, only inches apart.

"I'm not quite sure what you're playing at Draco," her voice quivered despite her intentions, "but I hope," the tears welled up in her eyes and she panicked. Now would not be the moment to cry. She cleared her throat. "I hope,"

"I don't expect you to understand." He let out a huffy breath. "I don't quite understand it myself." He began, following the steps that led to the garden with his eyes. "But when I heard the laughter, and you rushing outside, something just felt off." He looked down at his shoes. "I know…" he cleared his throat. "I know you probably think I don't understand what that's like. To be honest I don't. No one has ever had the nerve to make fun of me. Other than yourself of course, and your little golden trio of friends. That's hardly a bother. What I mean is," he took a breath, and exhaled shakily, "I know what it's like to be insecure."

"Everyone's insecure, Draco." Her answer came out faster than she had anticipated. And she suddenly got the idea to giggle, being how he was supposed to be comforting her. Draco shook his head, as though she would never understand. "It's different. Being me. It's not…easy. You wouldn't imagine the expecations. A Malfoy." He gave a wry laugh. "A Malfoy. What need a Malfoy be insecure about?" he scoffed, turning away, staring hard at his hands, as though his life depended on it.

With much hesitation, and a few tries, Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. "Draco," she said. He didn't look at her. "I think maybe," she paused, "Part of it, maybe…maybe you're realizing that we're not so different. And maybe that's not such a bad thing." He gave her a quick glance, one she couldn't make out. "I'm not saying we'll ever be friends," she added quickly, "Nor that I wouldn't want to be." She cleared her throat, unsure of where her speech was going, "But maybe this is good. Sometimes you can confide to a stranger what you can't confess to a friend." Draco looked her up and down, completely silent. "Take a walk with me Granger."

The grandiose steps that led from the balcony to the gardens suddenly felt like the biggest obstacle in the world. Hermione had to hold her dress up to keep from tripping, and her heels echoed on the stone, proclaiming to the world where she was with each step. And something about that made her terribly nervous.

"I was a shy kid if you can believe it." Draco said suddenly, before they had even made it onto the path. Her glance urged him to go on as his foot hit the final step. "I clung to my mother wherever I went. My father always seemed to frighten me a bit. There was always that fear of disappointment." Hermione nodded gravely. "I looked up to him. For most of my life that is. He was the epitome of a Malfoy man. That was supposed to be who I would become." Again she nodded. Draco looked at her. "Well?" he snapped. Hermione nearly froze. "W-well what?" "Your turn Granger. Go on."

She stumbled a bit, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I was quite the opposite I think. I clung to my father. I remember he would always carry me up on his shoulders." She giggled at the memory. "Things changed though, when I got older. My mother and I had more in common…as far as what a girl goes through. Women can be rather nasty to one another." Draco urged her to go on. "Well. No one has hair quite as curly as mine," she tried to laugh but it came out mangled, "and, well, being different and fifteen don't quite go together." She explained.

Draco nodded. They continued walking. Hermione commented on the breeze.

"I used to do the most awful thing." Draco said, as they paused to sit on a nearby bench. "When I was mad at my parents I would go around breaking things; vases, sculptures, the like." Hermione listened intently. "And then, when they would ask me about it, I would blame Dobby." He grimaced, the memory clear in his mind. "They knew it was me. That he hadn't done anything. But they punished him anyway." Hermione looked at the ground. The mention of Dobby tugged at her heart. "I still think about it a lot. I think it's because I regret it. I'm sorry about what happened to him by the way. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve much of anything he got." He added rather awkwardly. "Dobby was one of a kind." Hermione said with a sad smile.

"I'm actually kind of sorry about what happened to everyone that day. Particularly you. What my aunt did…" his voice trailed off, "that was wrong." He said firmly, his face hard like stone. "I appreciate that you recognize it as wrong." Hermione said carefully. "I was a Death Eater but I had a conscience." Draco continued, as though he hadn't heard her. "I think Snape was that way too. And it wasn't easy. None of it was."

"I hated you." Hermione said sadly, as though her thoughts were still on Dobby. "For a long time." Her shoulders were slouched and she played with her hands on her lap. Draco stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. "I didn't understand how anyone could hate me just because of the way I was born. Something I couldn't control at all." At this Draco winced, but said nothing. "But then things changed. It was after the day I hit you. I suddenly began to pity you. And I think it's because I realized you did have a conscience."

The wind rustled the trees, filling the silence. "Harry didn't feel that way though." She gave a short laugh.

"What's that like?" Draco asked. "What do you mean?" she looked at him. "Having such close friends like that."

"Shall we continue our walk?" Hermione said, getting up. Draco worried he had crossed a line, but got up anyway.

Hermione rubbed her arms. The temperature was dropping a bit. "It's…nice." She said, trying to find the words. "It's the sort of thing you read about you know? Having close friends like that. But it can get a bit annoying sometimes." She gave a laugh. "How so?" he asked, noticing the goosebumps forming on her skin. She shrugged. "They're _always_ there. Sometimes I just want some alone time. Luckily neither of them are too fond of the library." At this Draco smiled. He knew perfectly well the sanctuary that could be solitude.

"What's Slytherin like?" she looked up at him. He shrugged. "It's fine. If you like that sort of thing. We become close in a different way. We all know something is expected of us. But that makes it somewhat hostile." His voice tightened as he said this. "How so?" she asked. "No one will hesitate to move up in rank. You have to constantly watch your back. Which is why we don't have very many friends."

Hermione nodded. "I suppose that makes sense." She said quietly. Draco stopped suddenly. "What were they laughing at?" he said, "When you rushed out. What did they do to you?" Hermione gave a weak smile and looked down. "They weren't making fun of me if that's what you mean." She said. Draco had his hands in his coat pockets. "It was strange. I guess…Harry and Ginny. They're so happy." She mumbled as a shiver went up her spine. Draco took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. She thanked him. "And," he said, "You're not happy?"

She shook her head. "I have no reason to _not_ be happy. It's not as though I'm constantly sad. And seeing Harry and Ginny…not to mention Ron and Lavender," she rolled her eyes,

"I never understood that."

"Understood what?" her full attention was on him now. "Ron. Why he would let you go. I don't mean it like _that_ or anything. I'm just saying. Lavender has an annoying voice." Hermione gave a small smile. "Well, thank you, I suppose. But it's not that. Ron and I weren't good for each other." She explained. Draco nodded, feeling as though he should drop the subject entirely.

"I never understood why you were with Pansy." Hermione tried. Draco smirked. "Neither did I." They both laughed, for the first time, at the same time.

"We should probably be getting back." Hermione noticed, wrapping the coat tighter around her. "Or we could walk forever." Draco said, staring at the little dirt path ahead of them. "I think we'd get rather hungry." Hermione said, also looking at the path. Draco chuckled. "Maybe, Granger. Maybe." Hermione turned on her heel, groaning as she realized how far they would have to walk to get back. Her high heeled shoes were starting to get to her. "You could just apparate, you know." Draco said, as though reading her mind. She smiled. "Good thinking," she said, then, looking at him, "I'll see you around Draco."

"I'll see you around Hermione." But she had already gone.

* * *

It wasn't until she reached the common room that she realized she still had Draco's coat on. Ginny was the one to point it out. "Now who does that belong to, Ms. Granger?" she said it too provocatively for Hermione's taste. "None of your business, Ms. Weasley." She shot back. Ginny snatched the coat off Hermione's shoulders. "Whoever's it is, it smells delicious."

Hermione couldn't argue. It was something she had noticed as well. "Ginny, give it back." "Oh come on Hermione this is fantastic! Now we can double date!" Hermione snatched the jacket out of Ginny's hands. "No. We won't. It's not like that." Ginny smirked. "It's most definitely like that." Hermione gave a few grumbles and went up to her room. She tossed the jacket onto her bed and wondered how she'd go about giving it back to him.

She very well couldn't do it in class. Much too many people. She could always slip out later tonight, and drop it off in the Slytherin commons. That could work. No one would be up at that hour. Especially after a ball like this one.

So after everyone had fallen asleep, Hermione snuck out of her dormitory and made her way down the maze of stairs to the Slytherin dungeons. But before making it two steps into enemy territory, she was stopped in the halls by a large group. And Draco was with them. His eyes shot into a sort of panic as he realized what Hermione was holding.

Hermione's heart caught in her throat. She shouldn't have come. "And just _what_ do you think _you're_ doing here?" Pansy snapped. Hermione held out the jacket with slightly trembling hands. "It was out on one of the tables. It looked much too nice to just leave out." She cleared her throat. "What makes you think it belongs to one of us?" Blaise asked. "It didn't belong to anyone in Gryffindor," she began, "And it's quite high end. It must be one of yours." Draco stepped forward and admired the tag. "It's mine." He declared. Pansy made a face. "You'll have to burn it now." She cackled. Draco nodded to Hermione, and tossed the jacket over his shoulder. Hermione watched as the group walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few weeks since the encounter at the ball, and they hadn't talked since. Not even the sideways glance. And Hermione didn't think much of it. This was more of a one-time deal sort of thing. Her life had proceeded as usual. And she didn't mind. So when the morning mail was being dropped off, she was quite surprised at the note in her lap with her name inscribed in elegant writing.

 ** _Once, I bit into a tomato the way you would an apple, just to see what it would feel like. Your turn._**

Immediately, she knew exactly who it was from, and began to scrawl her answer. She felt the need to cover her words as she wrote.

 _When I was younger, I would always steal the extra lollipops on my father's reception desk._

She sent the owl off, and found herself much more excited for a reply than she was willing to admit. And so it began, over the course of the next few days.

 ** _They made me burn the jacket. Made a whole show out of it._**

 _That sounds terribly funny but also terribly inconvenient._

 ** _Tell me about it. That jacket wasn't exactly the cheapest thing around._**

 _I hope I didn't cause too much trouble. I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake._

 ** _Hardly. I wonder what would've happened if I showed up near you Gryffindors._**

 _Ron would have a fit I'm sure. But you'd be surprised how many wouldn't mind. Particularly a few girls._

 ** _Don't think me stupid but why did your father have lollipops on his desk?_**

 _He's a dentist. Sometimes a procedure can be less than comfortable, so he puts candy out to make people feel better._

 ** _Ok. Now what exactly does a procedure consist of?_**

 _It would depend on what someone needs. Usually just a standard cleaning._

 ** _That doesn't sound so bad._**

 _Depends on who you ask._

 ** _What happened at meal today? Your tables were going crazy._**

 _Some sort of silly game. I tried to stay out of it._

 ** _What a detailed description._**

 _It's a shame you can't sigh through paper. It's a muggle game, I doubt you've heard of it. It consists of a few lists, then you pick a number and continue to go through the lists until you are left with one of each section. The result is supposed to define your future spouse, job, house, number of children, etc._

 ** _I'd like to play._**

 _It's childish stuff really._

 ** _I don't care._**

 _You sound childish now._

 ** _Again, don't care._**

 _Well go ahead then._

 ** _But I don't know how._**

 _So ask someone._

 ** _I'm asking you._**

Hermione's heart caught in her throat as she read the final line. He wanted her to teach him? That would require…meeting. And actually talking in real life. Someone might seem them. Might assume the worst. She couldn't have that. She had her reputation to protect. They both did.

 _What do you suggest?_

 ** _You seem to know how to get into the library without anyone noticing. Say tomorrow night maybe?_**

 _Done._

Hermione couldn't help but pay her hair a little more attention the next day. She had taken her time coming it all through before compiling it in a neat braid that followed her spine. She sat anxiously through meals, and tossed in bed until she knew she could make a clean escape without anyone noticing. This part was crucial. She didn't want any unnecessary questions. Her feet tapped lightly as she took the steps down into the common room. "Where are you going?" Ginny's voice seemed to echo through the emptiness. Hermione stood frozen. "Oh come on Hermione, don't play dumb. I see you writing those little notes. Who is he?" "He's none of your business. Now are you gonna rat me out or not?" Ginny ran up to give her a tight hug. "Of course not. I just…I wanna know everything. Promise Hermione," she shook her a little, "Promise you'll tell me everything." Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled out of the hug. "Fine. But I have to get going." She insisted. Ginny practically pushed her away. "Go! Have fun! Be safe." She urged. Hermione slipped out and made her way to the library.

When she entered, Draco was already there, pacing around a few tables. "Hey." She said, but it came out more awkwardly than she had anticipated. Draco smiled in reply. "So how does it work?" Hermione pulled out a chair and began to explain the game of M.A.S.H. "Ok so pick four jobs." She said. "Auror, Professor, Banker, um, Doctor." Hermione scribbled his choices down. "Ok, now 4 numbers." She told him. "Five, Seven, Thirteen, Twenty-Two." Hermione burst out laughing. "What?" he asked. "Nothing," she giggled, "Just wait." "And now just four girls." "Pansy, Anastasia, Cho, and you." Hermione glanced at him but scribbled the names anyway. "Now pick a number between one and twenty." "Fourteen." He said. Hermione went around the block, scribbling the final verdict in the center of the square. She winced. "What is it? What's wrong?" She gave a short laugh. "Nothing's wrong. I just don't think this was your ideal choice." "Well, what's it say?"

"You will live in a shack. You will be an Auror, you marry me…and we have twenty-two children." Draco gave a hearty chuckle that filled the room. "Well goodness Granger we live in a shack because you won't stop popping babies!" She laughed with him. "What did you get when you did yours?" he wanted to know. "Well I didn't have much say in it. They pretty much did it for me. But I would be a dentist like my father, marry Neville, and have two kids."

"That's not terribly exciting, now is it?" "No, it makes for a bad game." She smiled, "Although I wouldn't mind if it does end up that way."

"You wouldn't mind a simple life like that?" he said. She shook her head. He leaned back in his chair. "I don't think I could live in a shack." He said. Hermione laughed. "That's the big problem. Not the fact that you have twenty-two kids, or that you end up with someone like me." She laughed again, shaking her head, but stopped almost immediately when she noticed him looking at her. His face was serious. "What?" she asked. "There's nothing wrong with someone like you." He said, clearing his throat. She cocked her head slightly to the left. "I never thought I'd hear you say that." She said, suddenly very quiet.

"Do you think," he was fumbling with the paper, "Do you think if…say Dumbledore survived. Do you think he would forgive me?" His face was hard, unyielding. Hermione seemed to gasp, though she didn't mean to. "I'm sure he would Draco. Dumbledore knew he was going to die anyway. He knew you were better than that."

"But that's exactly it, isn't it? I wasn't. Not then. I went through with it."

"We were all different then, Draco."

He sighed. "So you and Neville. Who would have thought." Hermione smiled, acknowledging his change in topic. "Yes well, he is _quite_ muscular nowadays." "You like that, Granger?" She shrugged. "It certainly doesn't hurt."

Hermione didn't remember making it back to her room. Her first thought was that Draco might have carried her there, but that seemed ridiculous, seeing that he didn't know the password. Besides, someone definitely would have heard them. Nevertheless, she was quite excited to rush downstairs and see if she had any mail. To her dismay, there wasn't any. And there wouldn't be any for the next few days. She knew she shouldn't have expected anything, but she couldn't help it. She thought that maybe, after all this time, Gryffindor and Slytherin could make amends, and she and Draco could be friends. It had been nice talking to him, and his intelligence matched her own, which she respected highly.

After about a week she could no longer contain herself.

 _How are you?_

"Who are you writing to? You promised you'd tell." Hermione's heart nearly caught in her throat. "Damn it Ginny you're gonna give me a heart attack." "What's going on?" Harry said, sitting down next to them. "Hermione's got a secret boyfriend she's not telling any of us about." Ginny said obnoxiously. "He's not my boyfriend." Hermione jumped in quickly, turning bright red. "You've got to give me something. I've been waiting ever so patiently." Hermione rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"He's just a friend. Or at least I thought he was. But we haven't talked in a while. I'm not sure he wants to talk anymore." Ginny scoffed. "Then sweetheart move on. People like that are _not_ worth your time." Hermione winced, unsure of how much else she should disclose. "I suppose you're right, Ginny." She said finally. "Damn right I am."

Just when Hermione thought the subject was over and done with, Harry spoke up. "Do you like him, Hermione?" "He was nice enough." She said. "Well, if he doesn't reply back, then you deserve better anyway." He gave a goofy smile. She smiled back.

As they left the dining hall, the crowds seemed unusually thick, and one had to push to get through. Hermione practically tumbled out of the doorway as she was pushed from behind. "Why don't you watch where you're going Granger?" Pansy sneered. She could hear Blaise chuckling. "Aren't we all past this?" Harry snapped. "You tell me, _Potter._ "

"Let it go, Pansy." Draco's voice, while stern, seemed to boom through the hallway. Everyone turned to look at him. The tension was a bit stronger that both sides could have hoped for. As they all turned to leave, Hermione shot Draco a slight nod before turning around.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite this, and despite her letter, she didn't have any contact with Draco after that. And Hermione, never being one to drag, left it behind her as a fond memory. It was end of term, and they all had better things to worry about anyway. Hermione was excited to see her parents again. She never realized how much she had been missing them until the end of the year, when the homesickness would hit her in strong waves.

"Are you going to the rally later?" Ginny said, sitting on the bed. Hermione thought a bit. "I've seen it so many times, and I really have to finish packing." She told her. "Oh come on, its tradition." Ginny said, never one to miss a chance at fun. She was right, the rally happened every year at the end of the term. It was a sort of celebration for everyone after completing exams. Generally the whole school went, even the most intense introverts. There was food and games and just an entirely fun atmosphere. But Hermione knew she wouldn't finish her packing in time if she went. "You'll be the only one to not go." Ginny warned, as though there were some sort of high stakes to be lost. "I'll be fine, if I rush I can make it before the fireworks." "The fireworks are at the end Hermione." "Exactly." She replied with a smile.

As she began to fold the last of her clothes, she realized that maybe she wasn't making the best decision. Life was made up of moments, so you might as well make them good ones.

The rally was really more of a fair, and Hermione couldn't convince herself to stay cooped up in her room folding. So she put on a new change of clothes and headed downstairs to try and find Ginny and Harry. The crowds she was met with were indescribable. Like giant waves that swept her from booth to booth. Her favorite was the balloon popping one. She never managed to actually pop one, but she thought it was great fun anyway. The best part of the rally was when the sun began to set and everything got lit up, like a big city.

As she gave up the last few coins for yet another game, she was confronted with a familiar face. "You been at this long?" Draco asked, not looking at her, handing his own coins to the booth man. "Almost the whole time." She laughed. Draco nodded at her. He threw a few darts, hitting two out of the three balloons, earning him a prize. "Which one were you playing for?" he asked her. "Oh, I don't really play for the prizes, I just like throwing the darts." Hermione giggled awkwardly. He raised an eyebrow at her, he seemed impatient. "I like otters though." She swallowed, again, more awkwardly than she had intended. "She can have it." He told the man, and left without another word.

She watched him leave, slightly confused, and part of her wanted to run up to him to ask if he'd ride the ferris wheel with her. As she stared at the stuffed otter in her hands she thought it was a stupid idea because she was afraid of heights.

"Hey! Don't tell me you actually won something this time!" Hermione was snapped out of her thoughts by Ginny, happily skipping over to her with Harry by her side. "No, yeah it was great," she shook her head in disbelief, "I guess this is what happens when you spend all your coins at the same booth each year." Ginny rolled her eyes. "This is exactly why Harry and I saved our last ones so we could all try something new." Harry was very excited. Hermione let them drag her away into one attraction or another. As they swam through the mess of people, they inevitably passed the Slytherin crowd, and when they did, time seemed to slow a bit for Hermione.

Both groups were walking in opposite directions, and they probably didn't notice each other, but Draco and Hermione sure did. She held up the stuffed otter slightly, and shot him a sideways smile, since she never really got to thank him properly. She knew he had seen her, they had been making contact, and yet he didn't respond at all. Simply turned his head and kept on walking, even commenting something to Blaise.

The rest of the rally was a bit of a blur; she danced a bit, had much too many sweets, and laughed more than she had in a while. Over the next few days Hermione was busy saying her goodbyes, finishing her last minute packing, and preparing for the trip home. She couldn't wait to see her parents.

When she finally did get home, she was greeted with warm hugs and her favorite tea. Her summer days continued in pleasant fashion. The days were warm, she had time to write a bit of poetry, catch up on some novels and just enjoy the quiet of her garden. Sometimes she'd join her mom in tending the flowers. She really couldn't ask for much else. On one particularly sunny afternoon, she sat down to write Harry back, she had been putting it off for long enough and had some exciting new things to tell him about the book she was reading. That is, until the doorbell rang. Her mother was busy with lunch so she went ahead to answer it. When she opened the door she couldn't be more surprised as to who was staring back at her.

 **A/N: Whoever could it be? :0! But seriously, I'm having so much fun writing the next chapter, so stay tuned! It should be up shortly :) Keep the feedback coming! As always, thanks for reading~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My first final is done! Let's celebrate with a new chapter :D enjoy everyone~ Hope this makes up for the teaser in chapter 3 ;)**

"Long time no see." Draco cleared his throat.

She could only stare at him, door half open, her mouth possibly agape. "Are you gonna let me in, Granger?" His head was slightly bowed. She shook her head, as though snapping herself from a dream. "Yes, of course. Come in." She motioned him inside with her hand and closed the door behind him. "You can go ahead and sit on the couch if you'd like." He nodded and moved into the living room. "I hope I'm not intruding," he said, resting his arms on his knees, "But I was just in the neighborhood. I figured I'd come say hi." Hermione sat on the couch and handed him a glass of water. "To my not-friend." He added awkwardly and took a sip of water. "You realize you're in the muggle world, right Draco?" she asked. He stared at the glass of water in his hands. "I've always fancied a trip. And it was long overdue." "You've never been before?" He shook his head. "I was kind of hoping you could show me around." He said. Hermione suddenly became aware of how perfectly straight she was sitting. Had she been like that the whole time? She slouched a bit. "I don't really get out much. But I guess we could walk around London if that interests you?" her voice got high towards the end of the sentence, even though she hadn't intended it to come out as a question. Draco shrugged. "It's all new to me." Hermione nodded. "Ok. Great. We'll do that then."

They saw everything. She took him to Piccadilly Square, bought him a poppy, saw Big Ben and nearly got run over crossing the street. "Do people actually get on that thing?" he said, pointing to the London Eye. Hermione looked from him to the wheel and nodded her head. "Can we do that?" His face broke into a smile as he looked at her. "Oh," her voice got a bit shaky, "No, you don't want to do that. The line is so long and there's a separate line just for tickets and the view isn't that great." She scrunched up her features, trying to sound convincing. "Tourist trap, really." She added awkwardly. "I think I still want to go." He said, leaning back to get a good view. He nudged her with his shoulder, "Come on I'll pay for your ticket." She looked at him. "Oh I couldn't ask that." She said. "Fine," he shrugged, "I won't pay for you. But let's go."

About a half hour later Hermione found herself in the queue to buy tickets for the London Eye. "This is crazy." He said, pointing to a pamphlet he had picked up. "This thing is so tall! Muggles really are something." She perked up at hearing that. "Yeah. It's hard to believe they built all these things without magic." She smiled. "Tsh. Yeah." He shook his head with what Hermione believed to be disbelief.

As luck would have it, there were virtually no lines that day, and so in no time at all Hermione was stepping onto the contraption she knew would end her life. She sat square in the middle, straight as ever, hands on her lap. Draco sat next to her. "Oh, don't mind me, you go on the edge." She told him. "This thing looks pretty safe you know, no need to be scared." He said. "I'm not scared," she snapped, "it's been a long day. My legs are tired." Draco gave her a face but got up anyway. He went over to the glass, hands in his pockets. As they got higher and higher Hermione's breathing got more and more jagged. "You can close your eyes." He seemed to have come out of nowhere. "Then I'd miss everything. I'm fine." She assured him. "Come on." He pulled her elbow gently. "No, Draco, really." "Come on," he nudged her a bit more and she was up on her feet. He brought her right up against the glass. "Draco." Her legs were beginning to shake and she felt light headed. Her palms were sweating like crazy. "Don't look down," he told her, "Just look out." She took a deep breath and did as she was told. What she saw was incredible. Close to one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. The sky was clear so she could see far beyond the city. "Muggles sure are something." He said under his breath. She smiled. "Yeah. They are."

After a quick dinner, they found themselves at a park near Hermione's house. "The eye was something. It wasn't so bad, was it? I was scared you might pass out." She laughed. "I wasn't that bad." "Hermione." He looked at her, "You were shaking." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, so maybe I'm a little afraid of heights." "A little?" she nudged him. "A lot. Whatever." He laughed. "Well you were very c _ourageous._ Super Gryffindor of you." Again she rolled her eyes.

Draco stopped walking suddenly. She stopped too. "This kind of feels like when we first started talking." She looked around, the park did resemble the gardens they had walked through the night of the ball. The crickets were chirping, the moon was showing and the trees rustled like whispers in the wind. "Yeah I guess it does." She agreed, smiling. They continued in silence for a bit, enjoying the scenery of the park. But Hermione had a little voice in the back of her mind that wouldn't leave her alone, and after a few more steps, she couldn't contain it any longer.

"Why did you come here?" she asked. He looked surprise at the break in silence and faced her. "I told you, I've always wanted to see the muggle world." She shook her head. "That's not what I meant." He leaned into her a bit, "What do you mean?" "You didn't talk to me. For a long time. We always have these really long breaks. And I know this isn't conventional, and that's it's not exactly _supposed_ to be, but I think at this point we're going to have to admit to ourselves that we're kind of sort of friends." She looked at him, somewhat confused, unsure if her words had come out correctly, "Do you know what I mean?" Draco nodded but turned his attention back to the path ahead of them, and put his hands back in his jacket pockets. "I see what you're saying." He said finally.

Hermione sighed. "I guess I just want to know why you ignored me. And why you won me the stuffed animal. It seemed like you didn't want to. But maybe you did. I'm just…confused. And that's new, for me." She tried to laugh but it came out choked.

She noticed how tense Draco had gotten as she spoke, and regretted mentioning the subject at all. "I just felt like I got too close. Like that story where the boy flies too close to the sun, and his wings melt off. I could feel my walls melting, and I didn't like it. I'm not good at keeping my guard down." Hermione licked and bit her lips, suddenly very uncomfortable. "It's ok to be vulnerable every once in a while." She tried. He glanced down at her. "I suppose you're right." He said. The silence after that was killing Hermione. She wanted to talk about something, anything to change the atmosphere that now surrounded them. But suddenly Draco spoke up again. "It wasn't just that. The vulnerable thing. Obviously, because I'm here right?" he shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts. "I just don't think someone like me is good for someone like you to be around." "A muggle-born you mean?" she said, trying to understand him. Draco shook his head fiercely. "No. Not like that. I meant someone who's a jerk. Like me." He took a shaky breath, "I guess I don't think I'm good enough for you."

Hermione couldn't breathe. "Draco," she began slowly. "Friendships always start off a bit slow. Ours more so than others, but we're getting there." She smiled and nudged him. "It's ok, I can handle myself. You've proven yourself to not be so jerky so far." Draco cleared his throat. "Ha." He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "The thing is, friendship wasn't exactly what I was going for when I came over here." Hermione stopped walking. "What are you saying." Draco groaned and spun around, looking at the sky. "Please don't make me spell it out, Granger."

She shook her head, her brow furrowed. "Draco, you're not doing me any favors by staying away. What, did you think me so naïve that you'd just come over here and I'd fall head over heels in love with you?" It wasn't until she had said it out loud that Hermione realized how harsh her words sounded. "I mean I do like you, I just, we're hardly friends. I don't even know your favorite color," Her words were fast and mumbled. "Orange." He said. "What?" "My favorite color. It's orange." He said again.

Hermione opened her mouth but nothing came out, she shut it with her lips pressed together tightly. Draco looked around and out into the park. "Oh man. I should not have come here." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you did." She gave a weak smile. "Please don't patronize me." He said, shaking his head. "I mean that most genuinely Draco." She said, recoiling and crossing her arms on her chest. "I just…" He looked at her, his eyes flashing hope.

For the first time in a long time, they locked eyes. And she could feel herself scanning his face, trying to come up with words so they wouldn't have to hang on the silence any longer. "I think we just need to go slow. Not that we haven't been moving slow, just a more consistent type of slow."

Draco buried his hands in his coat pockets and nodded at the ground. Suddenly his head shot up. "I have to get going soon." He told her. Hermione's stomach lurched. Just as he was beginning to open up, she had pushed him away. "It's not so late yet. It's not like you have to catch a plane anywhere." She tried to smile. Draco made a face. "What's a plane?" "Um.." Hermione shook her head and mentioned it didn't matter. "It's not because of anything. I just have a family trip. We go every year. And I leave tomorrow." "Oh." Hermione nodded, putting her own hands in her coat pockets. They resumed walking.

He bumped into her playfully. "I had fun today Granger." She smiled and nudged him back. "Glad to hear it Draco." "I suppose I could send a letter," he cleared his throat, "Or a few. You know, to bridge the gap like you said." She looked up at him and nodded, "Sure, that'd be great. How long will you be gone for?" she asked. "About a month or so." He told her. Hermione exhaled. "That's a long time." "It's not so bad." He shrugged. "Ok then Mr. Malfoy," she said, sticking out her hand, as though to give a handshake, "We'll write letters, agreed?" He took her hand and nodded. "Agreed."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am officially done with finals! Time to sleep, eat and write more fanfics! ^_^ Here's the next chapter, let me know what you guys think. As always thank you for reading and please enjoy!~**

* * *

 ** _June 5_**

 ** _Dear Hermione,_**

 ** _I have to admit I don't write very many letters. It's just not something I'm accustomed to. But here it goes I guess. The trip went smoothly, we are enjoying ourselves at one of the many Manors our family has out in the countryside. It is only after writing it out that I realize how obnoxious that sounds. But it's true. The trips are enjoyable for the most part, I get to see relatives I haven't all year, and I can catch up with some of my cousins. Unfortunately for me, none are really my age. The closest would be Aleksander, who is now twenty-three, but he was recently engaged, so he spends most of his time with his fiancée. The second closest are Anabelle and Claudius. They're twins and they're eighteen or seventeen years old now. Not a big leap, I know, but there's something that's just so terribly annoying about them, and it makes them seem closer to thirteen. I don't quite know what to say, my days aren't terribly eventful, but it's a start. I hope you're doing well._**

 ** _-Draco_**

* * *

 _June 11_

 _Dear Draco,_

 _It was so nice to hear from you. On the contrary, it doesn't sound obnoxious at all. In fact, as much as I'd hate to admit it, I'm a bit jealous. Having that many options to choose from sounds absolutely splendid. Things have been pretty regular for me here. The other day I went shopping with one of my best friends, Emma. She's a muggle but we practically grew up together. It was nice to get out of the house, most days I'm stuck up in my room reading. Not that I exactly mind, but sometimes I forget that there's a real world out there that I can jump into. In case it wasn't apparent before, my life is equally as monotonic as you describe yours. So I apologize if I'm boring you. It's been unseasonably warm, so it's been nice to just go out and sit in the sun. That is, until it gets to be too much and I cave in to the shade. But it's good I think. Maybe my parents and I will go out for a picnic one of these days. I should probably mention it to them. I'm sure you're doing well, but I hope you're having some fun too._

 _-Hermione_

* * *

 ** _Jun_** ** _e 16_**

 ** _Dear Hermione,_**

 ** _It's funny you mentioned picnics, because we went on one just the other day. And the greatest thing happened. Aside from the countryside, we also have a variety of beach houses. (Our family isn't quite prone to sharing which is why we have so many.) Anyways, we were all going for a swim because what else is a beach for? So there we are, enjoying ourselves, when Aleksander's fiancée gets caught in a mangle of weeds of some sort. Maybe it shouldn't be funny, but it really was, because she couldn't have been more than three feet deep in water, and she was making this giant show about how she was going to drown and die. But first let me back track a bit. Aleksander and I had decided to eat first, because we were pretty hungry and wanted some time to talk and catch up, so we were the only ones who weren't in the water. But then we hear these screams, and let me tell you, it sounded like a bloody banshee. Aleskander gave this deep groan and told me that apparently this happens all the time, and she's got one hell of a thirst for attention. I asked him if he was going to save her and he said he'd maybe just wait it out. But by then the whole family had gathered around and were calling for Aleksander. So he had to go over there to her rescue, even though she wasn't in any trouble at all. And so I figured I might as well head over there too. That's when the best thing happened. This giant wave started to come up, and it knocked everyone over and threw Aleskander (he was carrying her by now) back into the water. And not only that, but the wave was so big that it got to our blankets and ruined all of the food. I know it's bad but I couldn't stop laughing, because I had already eaten and everyone else was a complete sucker for not eating. So yeah. It was pretty enjoyable. For me anyway. Tell me how your picnic went._**

 ** _-Draco_**

* * *

 _June 19_

 _Dear Draco,_

 _That sounds like the whole trip was quite an experience. I wish I could have been there. It's almost as though I'm living vicariously through you. As fate would have it, we couldn't go on our picnic. It's been raining all week here. Harry even came over to pay me a visit, we were all supposed to go together. My parents are quite fond of him. So obviously, because of the rain we stayed indoors. But we didn't let that get the best of us. We decided to have an indoor picnic instead. It's really rather fun, maybe we could try it sometime if you would like. We put a few blankets on the ground, and got a few pillows to sit on. My mom makes the best lemonade you've ever tasted so we started with that first. It was still a bit cold, and despite my (failed) attempts to convince everyone we should build a couch cushion fort, my parents said no. But Harry agreed with me. Anyways as I was saying, it was still a bit chilly so my father and Harry tried to get the fireplace going. And it would've been fine, except for the fact that my father forgot to open the vent, so all the smoke started to get into the house and nearly ruined our food. My mom was having a fit but my father couldn't stop laughing. Harry and I were laughing too. So all in all it was a good day. I just hope it stops raining soon. I do love it, but it gets so wearisome when it's prolonged like this. I'm planning on getting a camera. A muggle one. The pictures don't move. Well, they can, but that's something else entirely. It's somewhat hard to explain. But a regular muggle camera where the pictures don't move. So I can capture some of the things we're growing in our garden. I think it'll be fun._

 _Yours,_

 _Hermione_

It wasn't until after she had sent the letter that she realized she had added the 'yours' at the end. It was simply out of habit, how she usually signed her letters to her friends. But she wasn't sure how Draco would take it. Maybe she had scared him off. To her surprise though, there was no show of it in his next letter, except for one small detail.

* * *

 ** _June 21_**

 ** _Dear Hermione,_**

 ** _I think the last time I built a couch cushion fort, I was five years old. So I guess you really like to bring out your inner kid. I've been to your house but you haven't been to mine. Maybe you could come for a visit. We don't bite, I promise. If you're up to it maybe a beach trip. If you like the beach that is. I know some people don't on account of the sand. It can get rather annoying. Yesterday I hung out with the twins. We went around hiding everyone's shoes and switching them about. All in good fun, but you should have seen Sasha's face (the fiancée). She was absolutely furious and Aleksander had to take her side of course. Happy wife happy life as they say. If you ask me her should leave her and run far far away. Faster than…something fast. I'll think of a metaphor later. But in all seriousness, would you like to come to the Manor? There's a maze of gardens, maybe you could get a few pictures with your camera. Unless of course it's raining. But I don't think it will be. I get back on the 28th so any time after that is fine for me._**

 ** _Yours,_**

 ** _Draco_**

* * *

 _June 23_

 _Dear Draco,_

 _How about July 1st? It's completely up to you of course, but I should have my camera by then. I'm looking forward to it. Believe it or not I've never been to the beach because my mother absolutely can't stand it. So I'd be up for a new adventure. It also seems that you're long overdue to build a fort, so we should definitely add that to our growing list of activities. I have an insane amount of pillows, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you ever get the chance, you should visit Paris. My family and I took a trip two days ago. It was quite lovely. The architecture is just stunning and the whole atmosphere is so relaxed you can't help but feel relaxed yourself. I'm looking forward to you coming back._

 _Yours,_

 _Hermione_


	6. Chapter 6

The first of the month scared Hermione more than she cared to say. She had been completely anxious the night before and it showed in the bags under her eyes when she woke up. She steadied her breathing as she stared at her messy bun in the bathroom mirror. "You got this Hermione." She told herself. "It's just two friends, meeting up. Nothing wrong with that." She stared at the bags under her eyes some more and finally got the energy to turn on the shower.

As she washed her hair she couldn't help but make a mental list of all she had to do before leaving. She had to comb her hair, find her wallet, find which purse she wanted to bring. Should she bring her camera bag? That might be too bulky. What would she say to Narcissa? _Oh hello, your home looks quite lovely now that I'm not being tortured._ She rinsed the shampoo off and wiped her eyes. With her hair wrapped in a towel and her body now clean, she was ready to seize the day. Sort of. Draco would be here any minute. She didn't feel comfortable apparating by herself to his Manor. Her heart jumped when the doorbell rang. "Hey." She said as she opened the door, "Just let me grab my purse." Hermione slung the bag over her shoulder and carefully hung the camera around her neck. "Ready?" she told him. "Sure." He said.

When they landed at the front steps of Malfoy Manor, Hermione couldn't seem to close her mouth. It was nothing like how she remembered it. The grounds were beautiful. Neatly kept with an enormous fountain right at the center and enormous gates that would make anyone insecure about stepping inside. "Welcome to my humble abode." He said, motioning for her to join him inside. Hermione kept her eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a thing. "This isn't even the half of it." He chuckled lightly. "It's incredible." She told him. As they entered the main part of the house, there was a giant staircase that led down both sides of room and an enormous chandelier that Hermione could not stop looking at. Draco could only look at her. She noticed this and dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry. You're used to this. I've just never seen anything like it." He nodded. "Do you mind if I snap a picture?" "By all means," he said, gesturing with his hands.

Hermione pulled out her camera and took the picture, careful to get certain angles just right. "Have you taken many pictures?" he asked. "Not too many," she said, scanning through the ones she had just taken. "But I went back to London, and managed to get some nice shots of the city." "If you have time, I'd like to see them." "Definitely." She smiled. "Maybe after you show me your gardens. Are you sure Narcissa won't mind?" The last part came out a bit faster than she had hoped. "My mother is away on business, so you won't be meeting her for a bit." Draco explained. Hermione nodded. She seemed more relaxed suddenly, as though a large weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"This way," he said, motioning for her to follow. As they walked through the mansion Hermione couldn't help but be in awe. There was so much of…everything. She couldn't imagine what it would be like growing up here. It was the next best thing to royalty, if not better. When they made it outside, Draco said, "Feel free to do whatever. But one condition. You show me how that thing works." Hermoine nodded and they made their way to the edge of one of the various fountains the Malfoys had sprinkled over their gardens.

"So this is a camera." Hermione said, giggling a bit. "It's pretty big." Draco said, noting the lens that was almost the size of her hand. "It makes the picture better. And it allows for better quality zoom," she said, showing him what she meant. Draco nodded, eyes slightly widened. "And then once you have everything the way you want it, you push this button, and it captures the image." She smiled. He looked at her. For some reason she felt herself blushing. "Really though, I can't explain much more than that, I'm still learning myself. There are a whole lot of different rules and things. Photography can get rather complicated." "Well then I don't want to keep you," he said, standing up, "Go on, have a blast. I'll just watch." He smiled. She returned the smile and nodded, standing up herself.

There was an amazing array of every kind of flower you could ever think of. The gardens were well kept, and Hermione was amazed, as she didn't think Narcissa as one who tended a garden. But she took pictures of everything. And sometimes she was so excited she was sure half of them came out blurry. Draco followed closely behind, observing her use of the camera. He even took a few of his own shots. "Show them to me after." He would say. Sometimes he went off onto his own path, going under a tree to try and catch some shade. At one particular moment, he looked so peaceful, so serene standing under the tree that Hermione had to take a picture. Thankfully, he didn't notice.

They must have been out in the sun for much longer than Hermione had anticipated because she suddenly got very dizzy very fast. She didn't feel herself fall, but she knew she was on the ground because she could feel the small rocks of the gravel pushing up against her face. She didn't remember much after that.

When she woke up, her head was pounding, and she was in a room that was incredibly grey. She tried to sit up but that only made the pounding worse. If nothing else, the bed was incredibly comfortable. At that moment the door opened.

"Oh good you're up," Draco said, putting a glass of water by the edge of the bed. "I was worried for a bit." He chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. Hermione gladly took the water, the cold soothing her head a bit. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't know what happened. I guess I got a bit ahead of myself." "You're too pale," he told her, "And you were out in the sun too long." She scoffed. "I'm darker than you are, and you're fine." "I was in the shade half the time." He argued. She knew he was right. "I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble." She said. He shook his head. "No trouble at all."

She swallowed. "This room is very grey." She told him. He nodded, looking around. "I like it," he said, "It's a nice color, especially when you're trying to sleep." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized they were in his room and her heart pounded as she realized she was on his bed. She struggled to get up. "Hey hey, it's fine. You've had quite a day. You can stay if you don't feel good." She sat up anyway, leaning against one of the pillows. She looked at him. "Please sit down too. I feel so bad with you standing." Draco walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down, so that they were both facing the opposite wall. Hermione bit her lip, trying to think of something to say. "Next time I won't pass out. Promise." She tried to laugh. Draco shook his head. "I'm surprised you're not bruised. You hit the ground pretty hard." Hermione laughed. "Did I really?" But her laughter was cut off when she remembered her camera. Draco assured her it was fine, it was on the opposite nightstand. Hermione nodded and exhaled deeply.

"So then," she said, hating the silence, "You enjoyed your trip?" Draco nodded. "I've been spending my birthday there for forever. Couldn't imagine it any other way." Hermione raised her eyebrows. "When was your birthday?" "The fifth." He replied calmly. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gotten you something." Draco shook his head, "No need." "No," Hermione said, "Really. It's been decided. We're going to go do something. We'll build that fort. So pick a day. I can bake a cake and stuff too." She smiled at him. Draco got a strange look on his face that she couldn't read. "I don't know Hermione…" "Oh come on it'll be great. I make good cakes." She smiled at him.

Draco sighed. "Fine, I guess we'll build this damn fort you keep going off about." But he nudged her as he said it, so she knew it was in good fun. "Draco this is a lot of grey." She said, unable to help herself. He chuckled. "You don't like it." "It's not that I d _on't_ like it. It's just so much grey! Why not a bit of orange?" He shrugged. "It would kill the color scheme I have going." He told her. She laughed. "I can see you spent a long time figuring it out." "Took me days." He said. She smiled. "I'm sorry. I really do feel like I ruined all this. By fainting. Such a girly thing to do." "You didn't faint Granger the heat knocked you out. Don't be so hard on yourself." "I think I'm well enough to apparate home now." She told him. He nodded. "But, about your birthday. Are you free Saturday?" Again he nodded. She smiled the kind of smile that showed off her teeth. "Perfect. You can meet my parents and stuff too. I'll tell my mom to make her lemonade. Thanks again for letting me take pictures. Bye." With a wave she was gone. Draco couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that she had forgotten her camera.

In a moment she was back. "I forgot my-" "I know," he said, smirking and handing it over to her. "Thanks again," she was blushing, "Saturday!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione had spent all of Friday night baking with her mom. "Did you wrap his gift?" "Yes mom that's all done. I just need to get this cake done."

"Does he even like chocolate?"

"I don't know mom, why wouldn't he?"

"Maybe he prefers vanilla."

Hermione groaned. "Mom. Why would you say that? Now I'm second guessing myself." She mixed the ingredients harshly.

Mrs. Granger shrugged, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "This is a whole lot of trouble you're going through for this boy you know."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's just a friend mom. Like Harry. Or Ron."

"Ron was more than just a friend." She said in a sing-song voice as she continued to squeeze the lemons for the lemonade.

"Mom. Stop."

Mrs. Granger laughed. "I'm sure chocolate will be just fine, Mimi."

"I think so too. And please don't call me Mimi when he gets here." Mrs. Granger gave a very loud and deliberate sigh. "Just don't forget to put everything back once you're all done. I don't want this house a mess with pillows everywhere."

"Yes mom." Hermione sighed again, putting the cake into the oven.

* * *

Hermione fussed over the little details the next day until Draco arrived. When the doorbell rang she ran over to the door. But then she realized that might seem anxious, so she paused. Until she realized he had probably heard her running to open the door, which would make the pause seem odd. She opened the door. "Happy Belated Birthday!" She threw up her arms in a ta-da sort of way.

"Hello there," Mrs. Granger stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Draco this is my mom," she said, leading him into the kitchen. "Mom, Draco. Draco, mom." "Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Granger." He said, shaking her hand. "Pleasure to meet you too." She said, giving Hermione the 'I like how well-mannered this boy is' look. "So we're just gonna be building a fort in the living room." She said. "Don't forget the present!"

"I-"

"Oh you didn't have to get me anythi-"

"No it's fine," she told him, "I wanted to. Come on." She made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Ok, so," she put her hands on her hips. "We gotta get this fort done, and then I'll let you open your present." "Alright." Draco smiled. The fort was a bit more of a struggle than either of them had anticipated. Draco was rather tall and so the blankets kept falling in on themselves in their attempt to make the ceiling high enough. "Can't we just use a little magic?" Hermione shook her head furiously. "No, that's cheating." Draco rolled his eyes. Eventually though, they got it, and they crawled in to admire their handiwork. "Not bad." Hermione said, glancing around. "It only took seven hours." Draco teased. "Oh hush. You want your present or not?" "Of course." he said. "Wait here."

Hermione crawled back in with a big box. Draco's eyes were wide and his eyebrows were high up on his face. "Hermione really you shouldn't-" "Just open it." She rolled her eyes. Draco laughed as he opened his present. "This is a _very_ orange blanket Hermione." She smiled and nodded. "I figured you could use it, just place it on the edge of your bed or whatever. Do you like it?" He smiled and nodded. "I do, thank you." At that moment Hermione's mom came over with popcorn. They graciously accepted.

Hermione took a handful of popcorn and shoved it into her mouth. "Ok," she said, mouth still slightly full, "Now is when we're gonna reveal our deepest darkest secrets." "Are we now?" Draco said, grabbing a pillow to make himself more comfortable. Hermione nodded, grabbing some more popcorn. "And we will be doing this because?" "Because that's what you do inside a pillow fort Draco!" Hermione sounded annoyed that she would have to explain such an obvious thing. "Alright," he said as he grabbed some popcorn for himself, "You first."

"Oliver Wood." She said. Draco made a face to show he didn't understand. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oliver Wood is like hands down the sexiest guy Gryffindor has ever had. He makes the running for the whole school." Draco couldn't help but laugh. "No. Stop. You can't be serious. Oliver?" Hermione's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah." "He has that awful voice." Draco said. Hermione gasped. "You mean sexy voice! Draco stop. You're ruining this. Every girl loves Oliver Wood. It's just a thing." "That awful voice is a _thing?"_ She smacked him with a pillow. "Your turn." She said.

He thought a bit. "I'm sorry my brain is blocked. I can't get over this Oliver thing." Hermione shot him a look. He laughed again. "Fine, fine. There was this girl, you probably don't remember her. She was finishing up when we were third years. Astrid Longwood. Absolutely gorgeous. Drove all of us mad." Hermione nodded. "I think I remember her. She had really long hair didn't she?" Draco smiled and nodded. "Yeah she did. I wonder what happened to her." "She's probably got a really rich husband by now. Maybe one kid. Definitely not more than that. She's gotta maintain her figure you know." She grabbed more popcorn. Draco nodded, his features slightly scrunched up the way they did when he was thinking.

"Her husband is rich but also good looking. And they love each other, but not really." he added.

"Well it's probably because he's working so much. All she can do to fill up the time is shop."

"Well he can't very well stop working if all she does is shop."

Hermione giggled. "That's a little sad though. Maybe give her a baby so she has something to do."

"Fine," Draco sighed, "She's got a bratty eleven-year-old and a new baby that she loves dearly."

Hermione smiled but raised an eyebrow. "Does that math even add up?"

Draco shrugged, "Does it matter?"

Hermione nodded. "Good point."

"Ok so you've got to give me something other than Oliver. Because I feel like you're just twisting my arm with that one." Hermione rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh. "Let's see…there was Victor." This time Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh god Victor Krum. He was the worst." "He was nice!" Hermione interjected. "I would take Oliver over Krum." He said. She shook her head violently. "Krum was much stronger than Wood." Draco raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so shallow, Granger." Hermione laughed. "Oh come on. You can hardly talk. You've dated just about everyone." "Not everyone," He scoffed, "Never dated a Gryffindor." He challenged. "Nope. Just Pansy. And that's bad enough." Hermione laughed. "What did you see in her?" He shrugged, grabbing more popcorn. "Nothing. She was just someone to pass the time with."

 _She was just someone to pass the time with._

"Oh." Hermione said. Draco cleared his throat. "But that was a long time ago. Ages. I'm much more careful now. Time is an important thing you know." His words were fast and jumbled. Hermione nodded. "Ok," Hermione said, her hands out in front of her, slightly leaning into him, "What's something super embarrassing that you've never told anyone?" "I'd have to think about that one." "No, no," she lightly smacked his arm, "Off the top of your head come on." "Uhh…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "When I was little I liked to splash around in puddles. But one time I guess I jumped too high so I got this giant splash all over the crotch of my pants, and so everyone had thought I peed myself. Never splashed in puddles again." "Aww. Poor baby Draco." "What about you?" "This one time in kindergarten, it was pajama day, and I had these cloud pajamas, and I loved them so much. But apparently, clouds were for _babies_ and everyone made fun of them. I never wore them after that." He smacked her with a pillow. "What was that for!" "You said an embarrassing story not a sob story!" Hermione laughed and smacked him back "It was embarrassing!"

At that moment Hermione's phone began to vibrate. She jumped a bit. "Sorry, it's Emma." Hermione quickly typed her reply and put the phone back in her pocket. "What is that?" Draco asked. "Oh, it's a phone. Pretty much a muggle device to help stay in contact with one another." Draco blinked a few times. "So you write words...and they get sent to other devices?" he said. Hermione nodded. Draco looked at her sternly.

"I want one."

She laughed, "I don't think they work in the wizarding world."

Draco didn't budge. "I want one though."

This time Hermione could only blink. "They're not the cheapest things around, and you have to-"

"I have money."

"But Draco-"

"Come on. It's my birthday right? This is what I want." Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him lazily with a pillow but got up anyway. "Fine. You're kind of spoiled you know." "Well I'm a Malfoy." He said rather matter-of-factly.

"Mom! We're going out! Should be back soon!" "Have fun dear!" She called from the kitchen.

So they got Draco a phone. A fancy one too. The salesman was rather patient and willing to go through the details with Draco. He was already starting to fumble around with the texts on the car ride home. "But how do I send it to you?"

Hermione laughed, "I told you, you have to type in my number."

"I keep trying to spell 'Hermione' but it won't go."

"Probably because you haven't saved me as a contact yet?" she suggested.

"Well how the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Draco. Type in the phone number." Draco grunted but followed her instructions. "Now click send." She felt her phone buzzing. "See? Good it went through. Now click on the number and type in my name when it tells you to."

"This is madness," he said, "Muggles make something that should be easy all complicated."

"It's not complicated." She insisted.

"Did it go through?"

"Jesus, Draco I'm driving."

"But did it go through?"

"My phone buzzed so I'm assuming so. When we get inside I'll check," she said pulling into the driveway.

"Good thing you're back, the living room is a mess." Hermione rolled her eyes and shot an apologetic look to Draco. "We were out getting him a phone," she explained, "His first one."

"Oh how exciting! How are you liking it?" she asked him. "It's interesting…" he began, "I think I just have to get used to it." Mrs. Granger nodded in agreement. "Say Draco, we have a block party around here every year at the end of July, you should join us. You can even add it as a notification on your new device there." Mrs. Granger smiled. "He doesn't know how to do that mom." Hermione said. "Well you can show him," Mrs. Granger nudged, "It'll be fun, waddaya say?"

"Um, sure, yeah, that sounds like fun." Draco told her.

"Perfect."


	8. Chapter 8

July 5 11:27pm

 **Draco:** Hello.

 **Hermione:** Hey :) I hope you enjoyed today

 **Draco:** I did, thank you very much.

 **Hermione:** Still getting the hang of the phone thing huh?

 **Draco:** It's so strange.

 **Hermione:** Wait, are you still out in the muggle world? How is it working if you're at home?

 **Draco:** Why do you use so many question marks? Yes I'm at home, I'm not quite sure how it is working.

 **Hermione:** Hahaha you don't have to be so stiff when you type

 **Draco:** What do you mean?

 **Hermione:** The period after every sentence, the perfect spelling, that sort of thing

 **Draco:** I see. How did you get the smiling face?

 **Hermione:** You do a colon and a end parentheses right next to each other

 **Draco: :)**

I did it!

 **Hermione:** Good job! Haha Xp There's lots of different faces you can do…you'll figure it out

 **Draco:** I feel like I'll be at this forever

 **Hermione:** It won't be so bad. But I gotta go to sleep now

 **Draco:** It's so early Granger

 **Hermione:** It's late! I wake up early

 **Draco:** Why?

 **Hermione:** I just do. Can't help it. Either way goodnight

 **Draco:** Goodnight.

July 6 7:18am

 **Hermione:** Good morning…

 **Draco:** Morning.

 **Hermione:** You're awake? :0

 **Draco:** Never went to bed

 **Hermione:** Why on earth not?

 **Draco:** I had to figure this phone thing out. I'm pretty good at it now I think.

 **Hermione:** You are going to crash later today

 **Draco:** No I won't

 **Hermione:** Either way you should try and get some rest

10:43am

 **Hermione:** Do you think you'll be busy later this week?

2:06pm

 **Hermione:** Draco?

3:51pm

 **Draco:** I fell asleep.

 **Hermione:** I knew it.

 **Draco:** Don't gloat

I'm pretty much free all of summer

Why do you ask

 **Hermione:** Just curious.

 **Draco:** We could do something

 **Hermione:** Like what?

 **Draco:** *shrug* anything I guess

As the days passed and they got deeper into summer, Hermione and Draco were forming what one would call an average friendship. They saw each other every week, and recently he had even stayed at her house for dinner. She was surprised to learn that he liked carrots, but not broccoli. "So what, are you biased against anything that's not orange?" He laughed. "Broccoli is just gross." He said. "Not if you drown it in ranch." She insisted. As he was headed out, he turned around, eyes shying towards the ground. "So listen," he tossed his phone in his hands and Hermione could hear the crickets chirping outside. "My mom wants to meet you. She's back in town now. But only thing is she's out during the day. Wouldn't really be at home until about nine or so. Think you could drop by one day? You could show me those pictures of Paris to kill time." Hermione leaned on the door for support. Something about meeting Narcissa made her blood run cold. "Yeah," she nodded a bit more than could probably be considered normal, "Sure." Draco's face broke in a smile. "Great, I'll let her know. Maybe Thursday? That work?" Hermione could only nod.

Hermione tried her best to not be nervous that Thursday, but she had hardly slept the night before, and her anxiety was getting the best of her. Because of this she showed up at Malfoy Manor nearly seven hours before she was due to meet with Narcissa.

"Whoa. You're here early." She smiled and shrugged, "I have lots of pictures I wanted to show you." Hermione couldn't help but smile every time she saw the orange blanket she had given him resting on the edge of his bed. It really did give the room a pop of color. They went and sat on the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed, and Hermione went through her numerous pictures of Paris, describing where she took each one, and which places were her favorite. Draco had dinner brought up to the room, extra cheesy mac n cheese, just how Hermione liked it. "You keep yawning, you all right?" he finally asked, when they had sorted through nearly all the pictures. She nodded, shaking off yet another yawn. "I just didn't get a good night's rest I guess." She explained. "Why don't you go lie down? My mom won't be here for a while." She shook her head. "No, it's fine, really." "Well at least rest your eyes," he told her. "Draco." She said. "Hermione. Go on, resting your eyes won't do you any harm. I'll wake you if you fall asleep." She looked at him with doubt on her face but leaned her head back to rest on the bed, stretching her legs out on the ground. "Fine, I'll rest my eyes but I won't fall asleep."

* * *

"Oh my god what time is it?" She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. "You're fine," he said, "Relax." "Did I fall asleep on you?" He nodded, "It's fine though. You were only out for a bit." She yawned. "God I'm so sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

She exhaled.

"It's really dark in here, even with the windows open."

"You afraid of the dark or something Granger?"

"Kind of. Yes."

"You're afraid of a lot aren't you?"

"Oh bugger off." She rolled her eyes.

"Well come on then," he patted the patch of ground next to him. She scooched in closer. He wrapped his arm around her and guided her head onto his shoulder. "Boogie monster can't take the both of us." For no reason at all Hermione's heart was practically pounding out of her chest. And she kind of liked it.

It was a different and new kind of feeling, and being this close to him seemed to sharpen her senses. She could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath he took, and she became aware of her own breathing. They weren't talking, but they didn't really need to, letting the peaceful silence cover them like a blanket. Her hair was probably getting all scrunched up on one side but she didn't really care. Sitting next to her friend, sharing in his warmth was all she could have asked for in that moment.

Draco had been playing around with his phone in his left hand, and his sleeve was rolled up. She almost would have closed her eyes again, if not for his tattoo. It was the first time his dark mark was completely visible to her. Without thinking she sat up and took her head off of his shoulder. She gently grabbed him by the wrist and began to trace the tattoo. Draco surprisingly stayed quiet, letting his phone drop to the ground. "Did it hurt?" she looked up at him. He winced. "Yeah. It did." She continued to trace with her right hand, as she held his left hand in her own. "I'm sorry," she glanced up at him, "I'm sorry this happened to you." He then pulled her left hand out into view, stretching out her arm, and in turn traced her thin scar. "I'm sorry _this_ happened to _you_." She pulled her arm away, suddenly very aware of how close their faces were. "It could have been worse." She smiled weakly.

"Draco! I'm home!" Draco sat up immediately, nearly knocking Hermione over. He rushed out of the room and she could hear him running down the stairs. Within a few minutes he was back in the room, telling Hermione his mother was ready to meet her. Hermione stood up, legs shaking, and followed him into one of the studies. "Just be you. It'll be fine. I'll be right outside." He told her as they walked. "You're not coming in with me?" her voice was panicked. "It'll be fine. Promise." He gave her hand a squeeze and closed the door behind him.

"Come in, dear." Hermione cautiously took a few steps forward. "Fire whiskey?" Hermione politely refused. "Relax, darling you look like someone stapled a pole to your back. I'm not like my husband, may he rest in peace. I care nothing of your bloodline." Narcissa's voice seemed to echo in the giant room. Hermione sat in the chair Narcissa pointed out to her and tried to relax a bit. "You've been spending an awful lot of time with my son." Hermione nodded, "Yes, we've become good friends." She explained. Narcissa looked at her. "My family has a long history, and when you have a last name as old as mine, you expect to keep it that way. Do you know what I mean?" Hermione nodded even though she didn't quite understand what Narcissa was talking about. "Tell me," she went on, "what are your parents worth?" Hermione blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, worth?" "Yes, everyone has a price attached to their name. Draco tells me you're a bright girl. What are your parent's net worth?" she said, pouring herself some whiskey.

"I-I can't imagine they'd be worth much at all." Narcissa nodded. "I didn't think they would be. You see the problem here don't you girl? Tell me, are you sleeping with my son?" Hermione froze. "What? No. No! No it's nothing like that." She shook her head, "We're just friends, that's all." Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Well then I can't imagine why he'd want to spend so much of his time with a girl of your status." Hermione swallowed awkwardly. "I can assure you, he doesn't see me that way. And I don't see him that way." Narcissa sighed. "It always starts out this way. Surely you understand. A girl like you could never be with a man like him." Hermione's hands were sweating like crazy. She didn't quite know what to say. Should she mention she wasn't after his money? Maybe it would be best to stay quiet. Narcissa wouldn't stop looking at her. Finally she gave a long sigh. "If friendship is indeed your only goal, then I will allow it." Hermione nodded, feeling about five years old. "You may go," Narcissa said with a wave of her hand. Hermione stood up to leave, "But girl. If it gets to be anything more than that, I'll have to step in. And believe me child, you don't know the meaning of the word pain." "No, ma'am." Hermione practically ran out of the room and bumped right into Draco.

"What happened?" Hermione looked up at him. "Nothing," she stumbled, "She approves of our friendship," she gave a weak smile. Draco smiled and nodded. "Great. Awesome. Listen. I got you something." Hermione held her hands up, "Oh, Draco, no you really don't have to." He swung a small gift bag in front of her face. "It's not much," he said, "But I think you'll like it." "Shall I open it now?" Draco shrugged, "If you like." They made their way into parlor, so that she could open it. As she removed the layers of tissue paper and saw what was inside, she couldn't help but smile at him. "Cloud pajamas. How very original." She laughed. He smiled at her, "I figured if you liked em so much, you should have a pair." "Thank you Draco. Really." He smiled, hands folded in his lap, "You're welcome Mione." Hermione couldn't help the beat her heart had chosen to skip as he called her by the nickname. Perhaps it shouldn't have, and it scared her that maybe she was developing feelings for the blonde haired Slytherin. But she quickly shook it away as nonsense. Draco was just being a good friend. And besides, Narcissa was having none of that.

 **A:N/ Stay tuned! The next chapter is almost done :D**


	9. Chapter 9

July 21 7:13

 **Hermione:** So I bought a hat

 **Draco:** A hat?

 **Hermione:** You know those things, they go on your head

 **Draco:** I don't think I've ever seen you with a hat

 **Hermione:** I know. I'm always buying them, but I never wear them

 **Draco:** Why not?

 **Hermione:** I don't know. I like them. But I just feel so weird wearing them. Like I'm the only one.

 **Draco:** Let's go to the beach

 **Hermione:** Today?

 **Draco:** Yeah. You can wear your hat there.

 **Hermione:** idk…

 **Draco:** If you feel uncomfortable you can take it off. That simple.

 **Hermione:** Ok…fine.

 **Draco:** I'll see you in an hour then

* * *

When Hermione went to answer the door she was greeted with a big smile. She couldn't help but smile back. "You look great," he said, stepping inside. She pulled her big floppy hat further down on her head, "Really? You like it?" "Definitely. Apparating or car?" he said. "I thought we could take my car, it's supposed to be a nice drive once you get to the coast." Draco nodded, "Let's go then."

"Have fun you two!" Mrs. Granger called from the couch.

"You excited?" Draco asked once they were already in the car. "I guess so. It's my first beach trip. I just hope it doesn't rain." Her eyes didn't leave the road. Draco looked out the window. "I think we'll be fine. Weather should hold out until at least tonight."

"My friends say the water is always freezing." She said.

"Sometimes." He said, "But that's what towels are for. You got the snacks?"

"They're in the bag." She pointed to the backseat.

"Fair warning, sand gets everywhere."

She rolled her eyes. "I know Draco. That's the one thing everyone keeps saying."

"Granger you're such a stiff driver."

"I'm a careful driver."

"Relaaaxx." He shook her shoulders.

"Draco! That's not funny!"

He chuckled. "See? Tense."

She gave a dramatic sigh. "You are so annoying. You know that?"

"So are you."

She scoffed. "I'm not annoying. I'm like the best friend you've ever had."

He shrugged. "Can't really argue with that," he said, leaning back in the seat.

They continued on their drive, and Hermione admired the coast as they searched for somewhere to park. Draco played around with the radio. "Muggle songs are so weird." He said. "Not even," she argued, pulling into an open parking space. When she got out of the car, she was surprised at the amount of wind that smacked her in the face. She held her hat down with one hand. "Maybe I should take it off." She said. Draco shook his head. "We just got here, and it looks great. Very beach-y."

Walking on sand was a lot harder than Hermione had anticipated, and she had to hold Draco's hand to get across. "Take off the flip flops, it'll be easier." He said. She grimaced. "Just take off my shoes?" "Yeah." Hermione stopped to take off the flip flops. "This snack bag got really heavy all of a sudden." Draco extended his hand, "Here I'll take it." "You sure?" He nodded. She handed the bag over to him and he slung it on his shoulder. "You don't want to be too close, or the waves will ruin the blankets and everything." Hermione agreed. Eventually they settled on a spot, and the wind had died down a bit, so they began to lay their blankets down on the sand.

Draco spread his legs out and rested his head on the palms of his hands, eyes closed, facing up. Hermione sat on the blanket, holding her knees. "How d'you like it so far?" Draco asked, not opening his eyes. "It's incredible." She told him, "I wonder how cold the water is." "Probably freezing." He said. She looked at him briefly, her body shaking slightly as she realized she couldn't get in the water with her cover up on. His eyes were closed though, so now would be a good time for her to peel it off without it being too awkward. She pulled the dress up over her head and let it fall neatly at her side before getting up and heading down the small hill of sand until the waves just barely missed her feet. She didn't know why but she was nervous. As though the waves might swallow her whole. Suddenly Draco was next to her, and that made her tumble into a deeper kind of nervous. He had taken his shirt off, and she became incredibly self-conscious of her own body. Draco was incredibly well built, and clearly worked out. He had to, she thought, you don't get abs like that and arms as big as his without doing some sort of workout. The thought made her heart race, as much as she tried to calm down.

"Well go on then," he said. She looked from him to their blankets. "Draco! Who's gonna watch our stuff?" He rolled his eyes. "No one's gonna take anything. Go on, dip your feet in."

Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward and let the waves rush out over her feet. She squealed as the cold hit her in sharp bursts. Draco laughed. "Oh my god! Why would anyone do this?" "It's fun Granger!" Draco shouted at her, going deeper into the water. "Draco! You're going to freeze!" He motioned for her to follow him. She shook her head. "No! Absolutely not!" He made his way back towards her, but she got an uneasy feeling. "Draco…" "What?" She had her hands held up, and backed away slightly. "I'm not going deeper," she said, shaking her head. "What's wrong? Why do you look so nervous?" Draco was smiling wide, inching his way closer and closer to her. "Draco...don't…" He chuckled. "Don't what?" He was really close to her now. Her hands began to shake. "Don't-" She squealed as he picked her up with ease, dragging her deeper into the freezing water. "No! Draco! It's so cold!" She kicked to no avail. Draco was laughing the whole time.

Either Hermione was incredibly light or Draco was terribly strong. She decided it was an intense mix of both. Feeling his hard chest against her back made it hard to breathe, and the cold of the water seemed to be freezing her muscles. For a brief moment she thought that maybe she wasn't fighting back hard enough, because maybe, _maybe_ she didn't want him to let her go. A large wave came at them, nearly going over Hermione's head, but Draco lifted her up, hands on her waist, so that the water went up only to her collarbone. Draco, however, was completely submerged.

Finally, she wriggled free enough to run back to their blankets and wrap herself with a towel. She needed to get away. Even if only for a few minutes. Something about his hands on her bare skin had her blood pumping a bit too fast. "What did I ever do to you." She said, teeth chattering, as Draco approached her. He laughed some more as he sat down next to her, his hair dripping salt water. "Couldn't help it. It was too easy," he grabbed his own towel, "Your hat fell off by the way. Sorry about that." Hermione's hand instinctively went up to her head. She sighed. "Oh well. At least now I don't have to wear it anymore." She laughed.

"Shall we eat?" he asked. She nodded, reaching over for the snack bag. "Let's see, we have chips, carrots, apples, and the sandwiches of course." "Hand me the sandwich and an apple." She rummaged through the bag a bit, pulling out two sandwiches, the apple for Draco and the chips for herself. As they sat enjoying their meal, an older woman walked past, her towel over her shoulder.

"I just have to say, I saw you two out there in the water earlier, and you make the cutest couple." Wrinkles formed around her smile.

"Oh, we're-"

"Thank you." Draco smiled at the old woman and put his arm around Hermione. Her heart began to pound, and she wondered if he could hear it. She turned to him, giving him a 'what are you doing look' but he ignored her. The old woman smiled some more and went on her way. Hermione shrugged his arm off. "What was that about?" He took a bite out of his apple, "Well why not? No ones the wiser. Unless you think I could do better in terms of a girlfriend." Hermione scoffed but it turned into a half laugh, "You should be so lucky!" and lightly smacked his arm before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Just as they had finished their food, it began to sprinkle. Draco looked up at the sky. "We better get going, it'll start pouring soon." Hermione began to put her cover up back on as Draco threw on his shirt. She quickly shoved her towel back into the bag, and they managed to fit the food and water, but they weren't quick enough to wrap up the blanket before the rain really began to come down. "I don't think this is going to work!" Hermione yelled, as the wind had picked up as well. "Nope!" Draco said. "This is pretty much hopeless." Draco looked up at the sky again. She couldn't help but look at him for a bit, noticing the white shirt sticking to his chest, the water making it see-through. She wondered about her own cover up; she could feel the fabric around her thighs. She shook her head, as though in a dream, and tried to deal with the blanket.

"Hey Hermione" she stopped struggling with the blanket and looked over at him. He slowly lowered his head from the sky to look at her. "Have you ever danced in the rain?" Why did it feel as though her legs had suddenly turned to jelly? "No." she said, "Have you?" He stretched his hand out to her. "No, but there's a first time for everything." She walked over to him, wet sand sticking to her feet. He linked his left arm around her waist, and took her hand with his right. She placed her right hand on his shoulder but had her head down. His tattoo seemed extra black against the paleness of his skin.

He pulled her closer to him and she stumbled a bit. "I got you." He smiled. She looked up and returned the smile awkwardly. "I'm glad we're friends Granger." He told her. "I am too." She said, getting the courage to rest her head against his chest, as they swayed to the rhythm of the waves.

* * *

As they made their way to the car, they were completely drenched. Hermione noticed the puddles in the parking lot and she smiled thinking about how Draco had used to love jumping in them. She put the bag on the floor and grabbed Draco's arm, dragging him to a nearby puddle. Draco stumbled but followed her without question. She let go of his arm and jumped right into the biggest puddle she could find. "You're crazy, Granger." Draco laughed. She shrugged, "We're already wet! Might as well!" He jumped in right next to her, causing more splash.

Their laughter tumbled over each other, and they lost track of time, until Hermione began to sneeze. "We better get back in the car. You can't be sick for the party next week." Hermione was sad to leave but agreed, and they finally made their way into the car.

"Can I drive?" Draco said.

"No."

"Come on, just a little bit."

Hermione backed the car out of the lot. "No."

Draco squinted at her. "Whatever. You're just worried I'd be better at it than you."

She laughed. "As if."

He smirked. "Watch out, I bet I would be."

"We'll we're sure as hell not trying today." She sneezed again. Draco pulled out his wand. "Is it ok if I?" She nodded, "Yeah. Please do actually. I really rather not get sick." Draco cloaked her with the healing spell and they stayed in quiet for most of the drive home.

The quiet only gave Hermione the chance to think. When Draco had put his arm around her, she had brushed it away, but the image kept coming up to the front of her mind. What if she and Draco were to be together? Like _together_ together. She smiled. Then he would have his arm around her all the time. She would always feel safe, she knew that. And she would always have someone to dance with. What had that all been about? Maybe he was just crazy. Or secretly loved dancing and never could because it was frowned upon in his family or something. She shook her head. _This is stupid. Get it together Hermione._ But maybe it wasn't so stupid. Maybe someone like him really could like someone like her. And then all the girls would be like, _oh my gosh Hermione you're sooo lucky._ Yeah. That'd be pretty great. She bit her lip and glanced over at him. He seemed to be lightly asleep. But that was all silly fantasy. Not even fantasy, really. They were just friends. Deep down she knew that. Draco Malfoy wasn't the type to wait this long to start a relationship, that much she knew. And even if they did start to be more than just friends, it would be taken as an absolute joke. No one at Hogwarts would accept that. And then Hermione would have Narcissa to worry about. Maybe Draco had some sort of arranged marriage she didn't know about or something. All these wizards that came from old money generally did. Besides, did she really want to have Narcissa as a mother in law? She shivered. _Jeez Hermione you jump from a casual beach trip to marriage._ She rolled her eyes at herself. She was being ridiculous. She couldn't wait to get home, take a nice hot shower and head straight to bed.

* * *

"You wanna come inside and dry off a bit?" Hermione said, struggling to find her keys in the bag. Draco cleared his throat. "Um, sure, I mean no, but Hermione?" he cleared his throat. She looked up at him. His hands were in his pockets and he seemed to be on his toes.

"Yeah?"

He cleared his throat again, his face looking strained.

"You all right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah I just gotta get going. But I had fun today. I'll see you at the block party."

"Um, ok."

They stood staring at each other for the longest and most agonizing two seconds anyone has ever gone through.

"Ok, I'll see you!" And with that he was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

"Maybe I should've straightened it." She told her mom.

"Nonsense, you look fabulous."

"But mom it's so curly."

Mrs. Granger kissed her daughter on the cheek. "My dear, you worry too much. It's just a block party."

"But mom-"

"Mimi for god sake's stop talking and run downstairs. That poor boy has been waiting forever and your father wants a picture."

"This isn't prom I don't understand why Dad want a picture so badly."

Ms. Granger gave a very irritated sigh. "He's being your _father._ Honestly who knows what that man is thinking."

Hermione didn't know why she felt so nervous. But recently Draco just made her feel that way. Where her words would stumble over each other and she felt like she forgot how to walk sometimes and her hair always seemed to be in her face. Which is why she was so worried about it now. Nonetheless she did as she was told; it was nice to be able to just follow instruction- it made her life much easier-and went down the stairs, feeling like she was clumsily stomping on each and every step.

"You look great," Draco said, as she reached the bottom. "It's just my summer dress," she shrugged, cheeks flushing slightly, "I've had it for a while." He nodded. She kicked herself inwardly. Why would she mention that she's had it for so long?

"All right you two, together now."

"Dad…" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Come on, big smiles," he formed one on his own face as if to show them how. Hermione muttered a small apology to Draco. He brushed it away, insisting it was no problem.

"Honestly darling. My casserole will get cold."

"You think I'm being slow on purpose? By the time we get there Mrs. Firgow's mashed potatoes will be all gone."

Mrs. Granger muttered something no one could quite catch under her breath.

Mr. Granger put his eye up to the tiny lens of the camera despite the image appearing on the larger preview screen. Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and smiled. Hermione's heart practically leapt out of her throat, but she quickly smiled, knowing her father would take the picture at any moment. "Ok, one. Two. Three!" The flash was blinding, but the picture seemed satisfactory enough for Mr. Granger, so they were off.

The party was about three houses down so they didn't have to walk very far. Draco insisted on carrying the casserole Ms. Granger had made, and although Hermione reassured him that he didn't have to, her mother seemed to appreciate the gesture.

"I've never been to a block party." Draco said. "Oh they're great fun." Mrs. Granger chimed in, before Hermione could say anything. "Never been? How peculiar. Don't you know your neighbors boy?" Hermione cringed at her father's words. "The houses are much farther apart where I'm from." Draco said simply. Hermione let out a sigh of relief when her parents decided to drop the topic.

When they arrived, it was just as Hermione had expected. A gigantic swarm of 'how are yous' and 'look how big you've grown' and 'who is this handsome young man' followed by very indiscreet winks. This was the part Hermione hated the most. Finally they got around to the hosts of the party, Mr. And Mrs. Firgow. He was a plump man who was partially balding but refused to accept it, and she was a rather short woman with big cheeks and soft eyes. When introductions were through, Draco stuck out the dish in his hands. "We brought a casserole. Well, the Grangers did. I just carried it." You would have thought it was the funniest thing anyone's ever said the way Mrs. Firgow laughed. "My, my, Hermione. You've got yourself quite the catch."

"Oh, no, we're just friends." Mrs. Firgow looked from Hermione to her mother with a raised eyebrow. She cleared her throat. "Yes of course, my mistake. Make yourselves at home!" she said, spreading her arms, "Go, eat!"

"When you've finished, bring me some punch darling." Hermione sighed but tried to smile. "Yes, mom."

Hermione pulled Draco along, handing him a paper plate and explaining what _not_ to get. "The cookies always look delicious but Mrs. Bird can't see anymore, and she always confuses the sugar with the salt." Draco gave her a doubtful look and grabbed the cookie anyway. "I think you're just trying to save them for yourself, Granger." Hermione glared at him slightly. "Go on then, take a bite." Draco, being Draco, bit off almost half the cookie in spite. Hermione tried to hold in her laughter as Draco's face went from confident to somewhat grossed out to 'oh god where are the napkins.' Hermione giggled, handing him one, and he tried to nonchalantly get rid of the bad cookie in his mouth.

They moved over to a relatively empty table. "Oh, I'll be right back." she told him, putting her plate down.

"And they've been seeing each other all of summer." "Well he's a very handsome young man, isn't he? Surely there must be something going on."

Hermione cleared her throat. The two women turned around. "Mom. Your punch."

"Thank you Mimi." Mrs. Granger said, taking the punch.

"Honestly Hermione, a boy like that and you're just friends?" "That's all it is Mrs. Firgow." Hermione assured her. Mrs. Firgow gave her an unsatisfied look but didn't press the issue.

Hermione and Draco made their way to the table at about the same time, as he had gone to get some punch for himself. What happened next could only be described as a blur.

"Oh my god!" Her dress had the pinkish hue and was sticking to her skin, and it felt like all eyes were on her. She couldn't breathe. "Hermione I'm so sorry!" Mrs. Firgow began to cackle. "You two look like a prom gone wrong." Hermione looked from herself to Draco, and suddenly began laughing. Draco only stared at her. "I'm sorry," he said most gravely. That only made her laugh even more. "Draco. You're covered in punch too." He quickly looked down at his shirt. The pink was oozing from his chest. "Go home and change. He can borrow one of your father's shirts." Mrs. Granger told them. "Come on," Hermione motioned for him to follow.

"I'm sorry for ruining your dress."

"Huh?" Hermione looked down, "Oh. No, its fine it'll come out." She smiled at him, "Besides I think your shirt is worth three times my dress anyway." She laughed a bit. Hermione liked this time of the day. The sun was just beginning to set, so it could have been early morning or late evening, and you could hear the overlapping chatter of the party in the not-so-distance.

Hermione scrambled with her keys, as usual, but she felt as though her clumsiness had heightened. "Sorry, you'd think I'd know which is which after all this time." Draco chuckled, "It's fine." When she managed to open the door, she led him upstairs to her parent's room. She rummaged through a few drawers and pulled out some shirts. "I don't know which you'll prefer. They're not very new or anything-"

"They'll do just fine, Hermione."

"Right. Well. You know where the bathroom is. I'm going to go change."

Hermione locked her bedroom door and tried to pull out the next nicest thing she had. Which she quickly realized wasn't all that much. It was the end of the week so nearly all her clothes were in the laundry basket. She could pull something out maybe…

No. Definitely not. Bad idea. She took off the dress and ran to the bathroom, trying to get rid of the punch. Her stupid hair kept getting in her face. Why did things always have to go so badly for her? She grabbed a scrunchie and tied it up in a messy bun. She threw on an average t-shirt and her old, fading shorts. As she opened her bedroom door Draco was standing right in front of her.

"Oh. Sorry. I was about to knock."

She laughed. "It's fine." But her heart went into a panic when she realized her hair was still half-hazardly done up with a scrunchie. She quickly let it down, tossing the scrunchie onto her bed. She opened her top drawer and pulled out a regular hair tie, putting her hair up in a pony tail, admitting defeat to her curls.

Draco cleared his throat, handing her the extra shirts. "Oh, right." She tossed them on her bed. "My mom said if we just throw our stuff in the wash she can get around to it tonight." She told him. Draco shook his head, "It's fine, I'll just have my house elves tend to my shirt." Hermione nodded, feeling stupid. "Well then," she said, feeling hopelessly awkward, "We should get going then." She said, reaching to close her bedroom door.

"Hermione."

His voice was firm, almost like he was giving an order. She pulled her hand back and turned around. He looked taller, for some reason, and paler, as though he had just seen a ghost. Hermione stayed quiet. He cleared his throat, his fist tightening around his stained shirt. "I like you."

Hermione's heart pounded in her ears. "I like you too Draco." Her response was just barely audible. Surely he didn't mean what she thought he meant? It would be crazy. Him with someone like her…what did she have to offer? It was so quiet it was a wonder if either of them were breathing.

He cleared his throat again. "More than just as a friend." Hermione couldn't find words. Maybe he was playing a trick. Pulling the whole 'I want to be _best_ friends' deal. Her hair was already tucked behind her ear, but she felt the need to do something with her hands so she tucked it again for good measure. She tried opening her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. Her heart suddenly began to beat very, very fast. What if this was _all_ a trick. Some sort of bet the Slytherins had going on? Who could get a Gryffindor to date them first or something like that. The prize must be pretty enticing, for someone like Draco to invest so much time with someone like her.

Draco ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Granger," he chuckled nervously, "Please say something." Hermione felt frozen, and she felt as though she hadn't taken a single breath since he had first said her name. She scanned his face desperately, looking for some sort of sign, but it only sent her into a larger panic. She had been with him long enough to know he was being completely genuine.

"I don't…you can't mean that." She shook her head, remembering Narcissa. She could feel him scanning _her_ face, trying to figure out what she meant. "Draco I…your mom-" he exhaled sharply.

"There it is." His face flashed for a moment. "You don't have to worry about her. I can very well date who I want."

"Draco…" His eyes grew wide and he took a step back.

"I'm sorry. I"ve made you uncomfortable. Let's get back to the party." He pushed past her and quickly made his way down the stairs.

* * *

When Draco got to his room all he could do was stare at the blinding orange blanket. He let out a shaky breath. He rubbed his face with his hands and groaned. "Stupid, so stupid." He fell backwards onto his bed, the fabric of Hermione's father's shirt strangely soft against his skin. Twice now he had tried, and twice she had pulled away. She had one hell of a wall up. _Maybe she just doesn't like you._ Draco clenched his sheets. His breathing was uneven and his stomach was lurching. Just as he was about to close his eyes his phone buzzed in his pocket. His heart pounded.

July 30 9:48

 **Hermione:** Thank you for coming today :) Sorry your shirt got ruined

Draco smiled to himself.

 **Draco:** No problem

Without thinking, he pushed the send button. Was that too short of a reply? He tossed his phone out of reach, not wanting to think about it. Problem was, she was the only thing he could think about.

 **A/N: Sorry this took so long to update! Hope you all enjoy and as always thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Shoutout this week to sreejaxoxo for the continued support! Reading everyone's feedback and comments is really the best feeling as a writer, and helps the process tremendously. So, as always, thanks for reading! Enjoy this week's chapter :) **

Hermione sat in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her phone buzzed. _No problem._ She continued to stare at it, somewhat hoping he would send a second message. Sitting. Staring. But no notification went off. She sighed. Perhaps she had been too short with him. But he had caught her completely off guard. How was she supposed to react?

 _Jesus Granger, say something._

She wanted to. She wanted to blurt everything out in a strange tangled mess. But then that would ruin everything. She was terrified of having him change his mind. There was no way this would end well. If they became a _thing_ they would probably at some point break up. And then she would lose her best friend. Hermione gasped slightly as she realized the progression of her thoughts. Yes. Draco Malfoy was now her best friend. That's what she considered him, anyway. She wasn't sure how he felt about her.

 _You know exactly how he feels about you._

She shook her head. Even if it did work out Narcissa would be out for blood. She had told her herself. The woman was intimidating in the worst way. Almost like a mafia wife that will do anything to protect her children. Hermione tossed in bed, trying to not think about it, but she found herself remembering the beginning of summer, the first time he showed up at her door. He had said it back then, too. Or strangely hinted at the possibility of his wanting something…more. Had he truly liked her all this time? More importantly, had she liked him all this time? Hermione wiped the few tears that had slipped down her face, feeling somewhat stupid. She would tell him. She had to. She reached for her phone. So what if maybe their relationship wasn't exactly functional, or practical, and so what if they would definitely be tormented once they got back to school…

Hogwarts. She had forgotten about that. She put her phone back. No. There was no way their already fragile relationship would survive that. Then again, she wouldn't exactly describe her relationship with him as fragile…but she knew it wouldn't survive Hogwarts. Too many people, too many judges, too many opinions. They'd never make it. And then she'd really lose him. And she just couldn't risk that.

* * *

"Mother."

Narcissa didn't bother to look up from her papers. "Good morning Draco."

"What did you tell Hermione?"

Narcissa gave an annoyed sigh. "What are you talking about?"

"The day you met, when she came into this office, what did you tell her?"

Narcissa shrugged her shoulders. "Who am I to remember darling? We mentioned her upbringing and the like-"

"Her upbringing has nothing to do with anything."

"On the contrary, it has everything to do with everything. One's upbringing is the very essence of who you become."

"And she has _become_ one of the brightest witches of our time, mother."

"And I'm sure she'll do great things." Narcissa smiled.

"So then you agree, there can be no possible objection against her?"

"Draco, my darling, there is every objection against her."

"How do you mean?"

"She is, as you said, a bright girl. And you, my dear, are one very rich young man."

"Money has nothing to do with this mother. She does well enough on her own."

"Oh? I highly doubt that."

"You're missing the point mother. She is not after me for my money."

Narcissa laughed. "Really, Draco. After everything that's happened, I didn't think you'd be so naïve."

Draco clenched his fists, blood boiling. Narcissa eyes his hands and raised an eyebrow. She scoffed. "You've fallen for the little leech, haven't you?"

"She's not a leech!"

Narcissa stood up, slamming her hands against the desk. "Draco Lucius Malfoy I forbid it! Over your father's grave I forbid it!"

"You're just like him you know." Draco said, his body trembling but his voice steady. "You say you're not but you are." He didn't stay long enough to hear her reply, and slammed the door of her study for good measure.

* * *

Hermione jolted awake, panting slightly. She looked over to her nightstand. 3:20. It took a few deep breaths and another look around the room to convince herself that she had just been dreaming. She tried to steady herself and fall back asleep, but every time she closed her eyes she saw flashes of faces she couldn't bear to see. She reached over for her phone, the light nearly blinding her.

August 9 3:27am

 **Hermione:** Are you awake?

 **Draco:** Yeah, what's up

 **Hermione:** Can't sleep

 **Draco:** Everything ok?

 **Hermione:** Sort of…just a bad dream

 **Draco:** What kind of bad dream

 **Hermione:** It was nothing

 **Draco:** …

Hermione honestly. Just tell me.

 **Hermione:** I was back in the war…

 **Draco:** I get those too…

 **Hermione:** Really?

 **Draco:** Yeah.

 **Hermione:** I'm glad.

Not that you have them too but

That I'm not the only one who gets them…

 **Draco:** Knowing you're not alone is always a good feeling I guess

 **Hermione:** Yeah, it is

 **Draco:** Will you be ok? Anything I can do?

 **Hermione:** Do you have any remedies for falling asleep? Haha

 **Draco:** I'm the wrong person to ask

 **Hermione:** Why's that?

 **Draco:** I hardly ever sleep…

 **Hermione:** Oh.

 **Draco:** Do you want me to come over?

Sorry, weird question

 **Hermione:** No, it's fine. My parents would freak if they found you in the house at 3am

 **Draco:** Haha yeah they probably would

 **Hermione:** I mean…that's only if they find you though…

"How you holding up?" Hermione jumped slightly at hearing his voice. She forgot how quickly apparating worked. And she wasn't really expecting him to actually show up. "I'm fine." She whispered, making room on the bed for him to sit down, "I just can't close my eyes…I see everyone…all those people who-"

"I know."

They could hear the wind outside, as though it were tapping on the window. Though it was dark, Hermione tried to get a good look at him. Pajama pants. His shirt looked half-hazardly thrown on. And he was here. Next to her. In her bed at three in the morning. She leaned back against the headboard and sighed. "You didn't have to come you know."

"It's not like I was doing anything anyways Granger."

She turned her head to look at him. "It's kinda creepy though. I mean look at you. A stranger on my _bed._ " "That makes you the creepy one Granger, not me." She smiled, but it faded as she scanned his face a bit more carefully. She hadn't ever really noticed the bags that hung under his eyes. "Do you really not sleep?" He shook his head in reply. "Why not?" "If you don't sleep, you don't dream." He answered seriously. Hermione stayed quiet. She couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of things haunted Draco in his nightmares.

She exhaled as she rested her head on his shoulder. As strange as it might sound, she felt completely comfortable. Perhaps a situation like this should have felt strange, somewhat exposed, she being in her pajamas and all. No one other than Harry and Ron had seen her in her pajamas. No boys, that is. But sitting next to Draco and talking had become completely natural over the summer, no matter what the circumstance. Perhaps that was why she had slowly begun to fall for him. She wondered again if she should say something. Maybe now, in the quiet of her room, in the privacy of the night, she could speak her mind, she could tell him everything. "I'm glad you liked the pajamas." He said suddenly. "Huh?" she was snapped from her thoughts. He pointed to her shirt. "Oh." She smiled at him. "Yes, well, when your best friend gives you cloud print pajamas one simply must wear them." He nudged her. "Best friend huh? Must be a pretty special person." She laughed as quietly as she could manage. "He is." As they sat, looking at each other, Hermione's heart began to pound. He was close enough for her to lean in and kiss him…

Draco sighed and leaned back on the headboard. "My mother hates you." He said. "Oh." That caught her completely off-guard. Draco scoffed. "Yeah. It's created quite the problem considering I've fallen in love with you." His head stayed, staring up at the ceiling, not looking at her. "Draco…"

"Please stop saying my name like that." He sat up to look at her. "I know what I've done, and I know the things I've said to you, to people you care about. But things change. I want to be there for you. I want to make sure you don't wake up with nightmares anymore. I want to give you my jackets when you get cold, and even now I swear I just have this terrible need to punch any bloke that looks at you. The past few months have proven that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me." He took her hands, holding them both firmly in his, "So please. This time, please just say something."

A few tears slipped from Hermione's eyes. "I don't think I've ever had anyone talk to me like that before." She wiped them away. "But I can't exactly say I mind." She took a deep breath. She looked at him seriously, eyes slightly misty. "Ask me out on a date, Draco Malfoy."

"Hermione?" There was a knock at the door. Hermione panicked, nearly jumping out of her bed. Draco apparated. "Mom?" The door opened with a creak. "I thought I heard voices." Mrs. Granger was groggy with sleep. "I just had another nightmare. I was watching some videos on my phone trying to fall back asleep." Mrs. Granger nodded, wrapping her robe around herself. "Would you like me to start on some tea?" Hermione shook her head. "It's fine. I was just about to nod off anyway." Mrs. Granger smiled and touched her daughter's cheek. "All right sweetheart. Goodnight." "Goodnight mom." The door clicked closed and Hermione exhaled. The one time in her life she would ever have a 'Notebook' moment and it was completely ruined.

She trudged back to her bed but nearly yelped as a pair of arms pulled her back with a hand over her mouth. She found herself staring into sharp grey eyes. "Hermione Granger, will you do me the pleasure of accompanying me on a walk this Sunday evening?" He slowly removed his hand from her mouth and wrapped them around her waist. "I thought you apparated!" she whisper-shouted.

"No, I just hid under the bed." He grinned. "So what do you say?"

She laughed, rubbing her forehead. "You're crazy Malfoy."

"That's an answer I suppose, but not exactly what I'm looking for."

She smirked. "And what exactly are you looking for?" she asked.

"Accept my proposal, Hermione Granger."

"On one condition."

"Anything."

"When your mother comes to murder me, you'll make sure I have a proper funeral."

He chuckled. "Done."

She smiled. "Then I will see you on Sunday, Mr. Malfoy."


	12. Chapter 12

"Draco. No."

He chuckled. "It'll be great, don't worry." She shook her head. "No way. I'm not getting on that thing."

"Hermione it's just a broom."

"Exactly, it _just_ a broom."

"It'll be fine. I promise."

She shook her head fiercely. "Either way I'm not dressed for it."

"You're not…dressed for it."

"Can't we just go to dinner? I thought we were going to grab dinner or something."

"Well we can't get there unless you get on the broom." She looked at him dead in the face. "Can't we walk?" He laughed, dropping the broom and bringing her in for a hug.

She shouldn't have, she definitely shouldn't have, but she breathed him in. And for a solid moment or two, everything but him seemed to disappear. His scent made her mind fuzz in the best kind of way, and she took a few more breaths before trying to shake herself free from his trance.

"I'll make sure you don't fall."

"It's just we'll be so high up and my hand will start sweating and that's super gross and-"

He laughed. "Just don't look down."

"Well that's easy for you to say isn't it? You played quidditch for—no! DRACO!"

The piercing shriek Hermione let out could be heard all the way back to London.

"See Granger? You're flying." Hermione held on tightly, her arms wrapped around his torso and her head pressed up against his back. "I don't like this!" she yelled, her voice shaking slightly, trying to be heard over the flapping wind. "Relax," he said, "just hold on to me." With scattered breath Hermione closed her eyes, listening to Draco's steady, even breathing. She bit her lip, and was glad he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks. _I'm on a date with Draco Malfoy,_ she thought. As her breathing relaxed she slowly began to enjoy the feel of the wind rushing through her hair. She had to admit, Draco was in her element up here. Even with her eyes shut tight she could tell he was an expert flyer from the way he kept the broom steady. "You alright?" She opened her eyes. "I'm fine now." She told him. He looked back at her and smiled. "Good," he said, "because I love flying."

Hermione gathered up the nerve to look up at the sky. With the sun setting she could see a few sprinkling of stars. "Where are we going?" "You'll see." He shouted back. Suddenly Draco swooped down, Hermione's screams quivering behind him. She grabbed on tightly once again but kept her eyes open, she felt that if she closed them they might crash. "Are your eyes open?" he shouted. She nodded, "Yeah!" "Good," he said, zooming off. Over the row of hills Hermione saw the ocean up ahead. The waves looked purple-grey in the fading light and she felt that if she reached out she could catch a few splashes in her hand. "It's beautiful." She breathed. Draco flew back up, landing softly on a patch of grass on one of the hills. Hermione quickly jumped off the broom. "Enjoy the ride?" he grinned widely. "As much as I could have, I suppose." She said, laughing. "The ocean looks amazing from here." Draco pointed out to the right. "My vacation house is a bit a ways that way. This is where we stay every summer." "It's lovely." She told him. "So," he cleared his throat, "I was thinking we could have a picnic and then go for our walk, as promised."

"A picnic? Did you cook Mr. Malfoy?" He laid out the blanket, laughing slightly. "No, um, I had some help from the house elves." "Oh thank goodness, it'll be edible."

He nudged her. "I can cook if I want."

"Draco. Stop. You tried making that cake-"

"Will you let that go? It was one time Hermione. One time."

She laughed even more. "I won't ever let it go. There is a difference between teaspoon and tablespoon."

"They both start with T! And there were so many different kinds of spoons…" now he was laughing too.

As the sun finished setting they finished their meal. "I can see why you enjoy your time here," Hermione told him, "It's so peaceful here." Draco leaned back, resting on his elbows, "It's a nice place to sort out thoughts and the like." Hermione nodded and took a deep breath. "The air is so clean," she laughed, "This is what I love best about summer though."

"What's that?"

"It's late, the stars are out, but you don't particularly need a sweater. It's nice." Draco smiled and nodded, looking up at the sky. "I'm glad we did this Mione." She could feel the color rushing to her cheeks. "I am too." He looked at her. "So how about that walk?" he asked. She nodded, getting up.

The wind ran along the edge of the grass, tickling Hermione's ankles. "Hermione?" Hermione's ears perked up. He had never quite said her name like that before. It was hesitant but almost…dare she say shy? She looked up at him, "Yes, Draco?"

"May I hold your hand?" She smiled at the ground. "You don't need to ask, Draco." He shrugged. "Well maybe you have some sort of issue with hand holding, I don't know." She laughed, "I'm not that weird." He took her hand in his and bumped her playfully. "You're pretty weird, Granger." She bumped him back, "You're weirder." "Am not." "Are too."

He swung their arms as they walked, and they laughed nearly the entire way. But as they continued on their walk, the more distant Hermione seemed to become.

"What's wrong?"

She stopped walking. "I don't…I don't know." She paused, "I just got so scared all of a sudden." He leaned in closer, face somewhat frowning. "How do you mean?" She looked up at him, the wind tugging at her hair. She tucked it behind her ear. "It's just," she tried finding the words, "What do you think will happen? When we go back to school I mean." Draco looked away, shrugging. "I would imagine that everything will carry on as normal." Hermione nodded. She didn't particularly agree, but tried to push the thought to the back of her mind.

The more they walked the closer they got to the cliffs that oversaw the ocean. Draco thought it would be the perfect place to take a short break. Hermione agreed, sitting, and pulling him down with her. "Jesus Granger, you're gonna make me fall over the edge." She giggled. "You take so long to sit down." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "So impatient." He told her, smiling. His hand was placed over hers and their eyes locked. Hermione's heart got pumping again, panic spreading with each beat.

Silence filled the empty space, and the sound of the grass moving in the wind seemed unusually loud.

"What are we doing." She said it softly but purposefully. Draco looked at her, his head turning sharply. She shook her head lightly. "What did we think was going to happen? This is insane." "Hermione," his voice was low and serious, "What are you talking about." She sighed as she looked at him, her eyes sad. "Draco we have to go back to school soon. What will we do then? What will we do after two weeks? Go back to what we were? Is that it? What was the point of all of this?" He scrunched up his features. "The point was we became friends Hermione. More than that. You know how I feel about you." He didn't stop looking at her. She scoffed, tears welling up in her eyes. "But how long, Draco? For just a summer?" Draco cleared his throat. "It was one hell of a start, wouldn't you say?" She turned away, staring out over the hill. "So this is it," she said, still not looking at him. "We'll never talk to each other again? Until next summer?" "Hermione." He placed his hand over hers. "Don't do that." She said harshly, pulling away.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. Again she sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just know Hogwarts is going to be awful. No one will understand. And I'll miss you." She said finally. "I guess we could let everyone at Hogwarts know. It wouldn't be that bad." He tried. She gave him a look he knew all too well.

"Ok," he said, "it'd probably be a big deal. For maybe a month or two. But then something else would happen and they'll forget all about it." She nodded, her head still on her knees. "I'm not sure I want them to know." She said quietly. Draco nodded, this time he was the one looking out into the distance. "It could just be our little secret," he looked at her, "if you want." He gave a wicked smirk. She smiled, lifting her head and nodding slightly.

"Stand up." He said. She scrunched up her features. "Why?" "Come on, just do it," he said, getting up himself. "Summer is almost over, and we'll be back at Hogwarts soon and it's like you said, we don't know what will happen. There's something I've been wanting to try." Hermione sighed but stood up. "Close your eyes." He told her. She pressed her lips together. "No funny business, Draco." "I'm not, just close them." She did as she was told. "Ok now outstretch your arms. Like a plane." Hermione smiled at his correct reference of the word 'plane' but suddenly got nervous.

"Draco, I swear to god if you're going to tickle me-"

"Shut up, I'm not."

She gave an annoyed sigh but outstretched them anyway. "Ok now tilt your head. To the left. A little more." She started laughing. "Draco what are you do-"

"Shh! It won't work if you keep moving." She bit her lip. "Ok now just carefully lift one leg."

"Which one?"

"Doesn't matter." He said, "Hold that pose."

"Draco…"

He cupped her face and put his lips to hers, more carefully than he had ever done anything in his life. Hermione let her foot drop slowly to the ground and her arms fell to rest on his chest. "Draco," she said on an inhale. "Shh…" He breathed. Hermione felt the rush of goosebumps go down her spine and spread all across her skin. She felt light enough to fly away. With the wind brushing her hair she was glad Draco was keeping her anchored to the ground. Finally, and reluctantly, she pulled away to catch her breath, trying to contain a smile. She looked up at him shyly. "I thought you'd never do that." she said. Draco let out a shaky laugh, "For a moment there I didn't think I'd ever get the courage to." She held both his hands in hers, marveling at how perfectly they fit together. "Do you think you have the courage to do it again?" He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her up to him. "You tell me," he said, guiding her chin up with his knuckles, his lips finding hers once more. Hermione smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We really are screwed Mr. Malfoy." She said, once they had pulled away. "I'd have to agree, Ms. Granger."

"How are we going to get through Hogwarts?" she sighed. He shrugged. "The same way we've done everything else this summer," he said, "Together."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Happy 4th of July everyone! Stay safe ^^ As always, thanks for reading :) Enjoy~**

"Hermione hurry up!" Ginny was always in such a rush. Hermione was almost done putting her clothes away and setting up her bed. She put the otter Draco had won her in front of the pillows. Perfect, she thought.

"Can we go now?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, let's go." She answered, annoyed. Nevertheless she let Ginny drag her all the way down the stairs and into the halls.

"Is it mean to say I hate first years? Because I hate first years." Hermione giggled, pushing her way through the confused crowds with Ginny at her side. "They're just young, they don't know any better." Hermione insisted. Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's irritating." Hermione laughed some more. Ginny grabbed her by the arm and weaved through the crowd, making their way to the dining hall.

"Finally I can breathe." She mumbled. "So tell me, how was your summer."

Hermione smiled. "It was fantastic."

"Yeah?" Ginny said, grabbing a roll of bread and sitting down. "What'd you do?"

"I met a boy."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Ooh, do tell."

"Once we get back upstairs. Too many ears here. How was your summer?" Ginny sighed. "Same old, same old. Ronald was impossible."

"Oy, that's not nice." Ron said, approaching the table with Harry at his side. Ginny rolled her eyes again. "It wouldn't kill you to shower you know. The stench was unbearable." "I shower!" Ron said, sitting across from them. "Yeah about once a week." Harry chimed in, shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. The whole gang burst into rounds of giggles, Ron turning as red as his hair.

Just then the doors seemed to whip open as the Slytherins made their way into the hall. All heads seemed to turn to look at them. Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she saw Draco, standing front and center of the group, looking in her general direction, smiling. Her cheeks flushed.

"What do you think he's so happy about?" Harry muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Malfoy hardly ever smiles," Harry nodded in his direction, "Just look at him." Ginny shrugged. "Who knows." Hermione took some sips of pumpkin juice, hoping no one had caught her smiling along with Draco.

Exiting the dining hall during the first few days after arriving at Hogwarts could only be described as madness. It was almost as though it took everyone a solid week and a half to get into the rhythm of _not_ running into absolutely every witch and wizard they happen to come across. It didn't help Hermione's claustrophobia, that was for sure.

When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione explained her summer to Ginny, as promised. But she remained as vague as humanly possible. "But what does he look like?" Ginny said excitedly. "Oh, you know. Tall. Very British." Hermione said, clearing her throat. "What color are his eyes?" Hermione's heart began to pound. His eyes were like a thunderstorm; deep and grey with the occasional flash of lightning. "Blue." She responded, trying to sound careless. "Oooh! I bet he's so handsome." Hermione scoffed, turning her head to the side and smiling. "He's alright, I guess." Ginny began to shake her hands all over. "Is he a muggle?"

"Um..."

Ginny gave a loud squeal that caused the other girls in the room to groan.

"He's a muggle isn't he? How exciting!"

Hermione pulled on Ginny's arm, trying to calm her down. "No," she said, "He's a wizard."

Ginny bit her lip, but still managed to grin widely. The look scared Hermione somewhat. "That's even _more_ exciting!"

Hermione covered her face with her hand and shook her head. This was going to be a long night.

As the days passed on and on, Hermione couldn't help but feel that something was missing. No, she _knew_ something was missing. And that something was Draco. Sure, they had _glanced_ at each other now and again, but nothing ever much more than that. Well, except for one particularly crowded morning, when Hermione kept pushing and pushing through the crowd, but she was so short it was an exercise in futility. Until she felt a familiar hand wrap around her own, guiding her through the confused, tangled mess of first years. But he was gone just as soon as they had gotten through the crowd. Nevertheless, it was nice having that moment with him, no matter how small. It was like she could finally catch a contented breath.

Other than that moment, that one wondrous moment, they haddn't really gotten a chance to talk to each other. Their friends, houses and not to mention schoolwork were keeping them apart. Hermione couldn't help the yearning feeling whenever she passed by him in the hallway. There was something about his cologne that seemed extra sharp. She never missed it, and sometimes she found herself following the aroma through the halls. Charms was particularly difficult, as they only sat two seats away from each other. They exchanged glances as often as they could, but that was really all they could manage. Hermione was getting anxious. And it was starting to get pretty ridiculous. They were all practically adults; if a Slytherin wanted to be friends with a Gryffindor then what did it matter?

But they were more than just friends. At least, Hermione thought they were. Or they had been. Things had been so strange after their kiss. It was so sudden, and so close to the end of summer that they hadn't gotten a chance to meet after that. The beginning of school had kept her much busier than she had originally thought it would. So when she got to breakfast that one morning, she practically ripped one particular note in half trying to open it.

 ** _I miss you. Room of Requirement? After breakfast._**

Her heart pumped hard and color filled her cheeks. "Don't tell me." Hermione jumped as Ginny sat down next to her.

"Ginny-"

"No, stop talking. I've given you long enough. What is this all about?"Hermione bit her lip, trying not to smile. "We're…more than just friends." She said. Ginny squealed and squeezed her arm. "Oh my gosh I'm so happy for you! But who is he? What about summer boy? Come on, tell me everything."

"Shh! Someone will hear you. I can't tell you everything. Please try to understand. We don't want anyone knowing. But we hung out a lot this summer. And, well, things are going well. I think. I haven't been able to see much of him since school has started." Ginny glanced over at the note and squealed. "Is that him then, the summer boy? The one you were telling me about. Summer and Note boy are the same person?" Hermione couldn't help the smile that formed across her cheeks as she nodded. "Your boy is at Hogwarts? What are you waiting for?" Ginny shook her, "Get your butt over there!" Hermione chugged her pumpkin juice and headed for the door, Ginny giving her a supportive wave on the way out.

As the door appeared before her she got an excited rush to open it. She tried to calm herself but her arm wouldn't stop shaking. Draco was standing before her, looking quite dashing in his best button down shirt and dress slacks. He was standing in front of a table. "Hi," she said nervously, "Gosh you look really nice," she looked down at her own attire, "I just threw this on, I didn't think, I could go change."

"No don't!" He practically lunged out to her. "I mean. No. Just. Stay. Jeez. I feel like I haven't seen you in years." Her cheeks flushed. He cleared his throat. "You look great. You could wear anything and look great." He ran his hand through his hair. He only seemed to do that when he was nervous, she thought. Hermione could feel herself going red. She folded her hands neatly in front of her. They were about two feet away from each other, and neither made any sign of moving closer. "How was move in?" she said. Draco ran a hand through his hair again. "Good, good. Uh you know, guys don't really care much when it comes to unpacking." Hermione nodded. "Right, right." Silence hung in the air. Hermione bit her lip. "I missed you too." She blurted.

Draco seemed to sigh with relief. "Do you think we should tell people?" he said. She moved closer towards him. "What would we tell them?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, more comfortable now. She rested her arms on his shoulders. "We could say a number of things I suppose." He pecked her lips quickly, where she didn't get to enjoy it at all. "We could say we've fallen madly in love, plan to move to the countryside and have twenty-two children together." Hermione burst out laughing. "I don't think that will end well. For anyone involved." Draco nodded, his face very serious. "We'll have to scratch that then." He told her, flashing a smirk. She laughed some more. "Definitely."

She couldn't stand him smiling at her, it made her cheeks burn. She looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous." He held her tighter, so that their torsos were touching. "Maybe you could try looking at me Granger," he said, his mouth right by her ear. She shook her head, eyes closed, burying her face in his chest. "No that makes it worse." Her voice was muffled. He brought her chin up, but her eyes were still closed. Draco chuckled. "I can work with that," he said, before brushing his lips against hers. Hermione shivered. They hadn't kissed since that last day of summer. And that had just been one kiss. They hadn't officially _kissed._ Hermione's mind was buzzing and her body was tingling. He tasted good, and it was something she couldn't get enough of. They broke away, slightly gasping for air. Hermione giggled. "God I feel thirteen again." Draco raised an eyebrow. "And just who were you kissing like that at such a young age Ms. Granger?" "Oh stop," she nudged him, unable to contain her smile.

She intertwined her fingers with his. "I don't think we should tell anyone yet," she said, looking at their hands, "I like this. Just us." Draco nodded. "I like it too." He said. "Even if it means sitting through hours of torture in Charms." Hermione giggled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. You should stop wearing that cologne, you know." Draco lifted his eyebrows. "Do you not like it?" She shook her head fiercely. "Quite the opposite. It makes it so much more difficult to concentrate." Draco gave a wicked grin, "Perhaps I'll have to spray on just a tad bit more then." She rolled her eyes at him, playfully pushing against his chest.

They snuck out of the Room of Requirement, hands still tied.

"Hermione?"

Hermione's heart froze. Draco's first thought was to apparate, but that simply wasn't possible within Hogwarts.

"Ginny." She breathed, her mouth completely dry. "Ginny, please, I promise I'll explain everything. Just don't-"

"Freak out? I swear, Hermione. This totally calls for freaking out. Look at you two!" She motioned to the both of them. Hermione and Draco looked each other up and down, and quickly dropped hands.

"Look Weasley-" Ginny put her hand up. "No, _you_ look, Malfoy. I won't do anything rash. But someone needs to explain."

"He's the one with the letters." Hermione voiced.

"You told her about that?" Hermione shushed him. Ginny's eyes grew wide. Then she gave an overly-dramatic sigh. "That much is apparent. Fine _Granger._ It's clear you don't want anyone to know. I can't really blame you," she shot Malfoy a distrustful look, "so I won't say anything. But only because I love you." Hermione jumped over to give her a hug.

"But let's get one thing straight," she said, pulling away, "everything I do is for you, _not_ for the ferret."

"Fair enough redhead." Malfoy chimed in.

Ginny smiled, "That the best you can do, Malfoy? Don't tell me you've gone soft."

Draco grinned. "Not a chance, Weasley."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been a while and I'm so sorry for not updating sooner but I didn't want to put something out there that I wasn't happy with. Thank you all for being so patient! Also I wanted to give a shout out to _hauntedpumpkin56_ for reminding me of a crucial element! Happy reading ^~^**

Having a secret relationship wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Originally Hermione was rather excited for it, the rush she felt when they were together. It was the ultimate adrenaline, and what girl didn't want to feel like they were living out Romeo and Juliet? Minus the dying part of course. Hermione cringed at the thought. Things were going well. At least, as well as they could be. Not being able to go up to him and hug him whenever she wanted was starting to get rather annoying. It definitely hindered the natural progression of a relationship. But she and Draco were doing just fine otherwise. The Room of Requirement was a great deal of help as well, providing them with the occasional dinner date or two.

Draco was always a gentleman, and they saw each other whenever they could. Since they both still had their cell phones, they could even message each other. Hermione had changed his name though, so that no one would know who she was messaging, just in case someone happened to glance over her shoulder. She tried to be nonchalant about it, but her heart couldn't help skipping a beat when her phone buzzed in her pocket. As discreet as she tried to be, she was almost positive her face broke out in a stupid smile when she read his messages. She caught herself daydreaming a lot, which was new to her. It could get rather distracting, especially while in class. More than anything she wanted to hold his hand as they walked through the halls together, not a single care in their minds.

Although, Hermione had to admit, Draco seemed to be handling it all much better than she was. He was always calm, cool, and collected, and meanwhile she was a staggered mess. Every day before Charms, Hermione had to mentally prepare herself before stepping into class. She was getting better at it, better at focusing on the actual board rather than trying to catch glimpses of Draco's right sleeve. Luckily though, the only two classes they shared were potions and charms, and she figured she could hold out at least that long. Minus the occasional glance or two. She had to limit herself to only so many glances a day because, honestly, continuously looking to her left would get really suspicious. Ginny had been the one to point it out. As promised, Ginny had kept her word, and not told anyone about their secret. Not even Harry, which Hermione silently appreciated. Harry was one of her best friends, but she was almost sure he wouldn't approve. She knew eventually she would have to tell him, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it. It was one of the many thoughts flying through her head in Potions that one afternoon.

"Hermione?" She looked up, Slughorns words tugging her from her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Professor."

Slughorn nodded, "Switch with Harry. I think these pairings will be better." Her heart began to pound. Could this really be happening? She made her way to the other side of the room and took the seat next to Draco. He nodded at her.

"Very well then, now that we're all settled, you may begin."

Hermione could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She looked over at him. "I hope you know what we're doing. I sort of zoned out earlier." He gave a deep chuckle, scribbling something in his notebook. "Do that often, Granger?" Her cheeks flushed slightly. "No. My grades wouldn't be what they are if I did." He looked at her, flashing a playful smile. "Fair enough. Let's get this done."

Hermione had always been used to doing all the work when working in groups or pairs. So when Draco took the lead on their potion she was somewhat surprised. She knew he was skilled with potions, but she didn't quite know to what degree. And goodness, was he incredible to watch. He had the same amount of comfort around potions as he did with flying. That kind of tenacity was something she truly admired in him. _Crap,_ she thought, _how long have I just been staring at him?_ She tried to look busy, moving her hands and trying to pick out the ingredients they would need.

"How have you been?" he asked her, pouring a pink liquid into a measuring cup.

"Pretty good," she said, "Though I miss my boyfriend a bit."

He looked at her. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend Granger. Is he handsome?"

She nodded, smiling shyly. "Yes, quite. Though he can come off as a bit arrogant at times."

He raised an eyebrow. "Arrogance is an awful trait. You could do better." And he nudged her slightly, so that the ingredient she had been measuring toppled off. She scoffed at him. "Look what you made me do!" He chuckled. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Well then," she told him, "If you think I could do better then who do you suggest?"

"Why, Oliver Wood of course."

She punched his arm lightly, laughing. "You're the worst. I would gladly take Oliver."

"And that's what makes you completely mental, Mione."

Her cheeks flushed. "Oh hush. Will I see you later?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She smiled wide. "Perfect. I really have been missing you."

"I have too."

* * *

"What were you and Draco talking about?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione looked over at Harry, her heart stopping somewhat.

"In class. You two just really seemed to be getting along."

Hermione smiled. "Yes, well, he's pretty good at potions. And he's different now, you know?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really."

She nudged him. "Come on, Harry. We're all different now. A lot has changed since then, I'm sure you can at least agree to that."

"I'm not saying it hasn't. Malfoy has just never been my most favorite person."

Hermione nodded, and they continued into the common room. "I think I'm going to take a nap." She told him. Her stomach was churning. She didn't think she'd ever be able to tell him. Especially with his particular dislike of Draco. It made her sadder than she cared to say.

Harry wished her a nice nap and headed upstairs to his own room. Ron was sitting by the window, eating. "Ron," Harry said, "Have you noticed anything strange about Hermione?" Ron continued to chew as he thought about his answer. "Her and Ginny are always giggling these days. But they're girls, you know." Harry shook his head. "I know. Ginny seems off too. But I can't figure it out."

"They're just being girls, mate."

"No, Ron, it's more than that. I've been following Hermione on the map, she just-"

"You still have that thing? Honestly Harry, you should get rid of it. It's going to get you in trouble one of these days."

"Ron listen. She's been going to the Room of Requirement regularly for days now. I don't know what to make of it."

Ron shrugged. "Maybe she just wants some alone time. Clear her head or something."

"I just don't understand it."

Ron sighed. "If it bothers you that much then we'll go and we'll wait for her. She'll get mad at us for even asking, because this is all probably not a big deal anyway."

"I've just got a bad feeling, that's all." Harry said. Ron brushed it off and went back to eating.

A few days after their conversation, Harry was lying in bed, unable to sleep. That was when he noticed Hermione disappearing on the Marauder's Map. He began to panic. She had never gone this late into the night. Something had to be wrong. He got up instantly and shook Ron awake.

"Blimey Harry-"

"We have to go. Now."

After a bit of a struggle, Ron reluctantly got up to follow Harry and carry out their stake-out mission. They scrambled down the stairs, trying to remain as quiet as possible but not fully succeeding. "Ron, keep it down or someone will hear us!" Harry hissed. "You're the one with the prance of a baboon!" He shot back.

"Quiet!" Harry pulled Ron back behind the wall, "I hear something."

In the silence of the empty halls, any noise became painfully obvious, including Hermione's hushed giggling. Harry peeked out from behind the wall.

"Bloody hell," he murmured under his breath.

Hermione stood, smiling away, her hands held by none other than Draco Malfoy. And then the unthinkable happened. Malfoy pulled her in for a kiss. She giggled some more. "Stop that. I have to go, really." She extended her arms but he pulled her back in.

"Not really, though." he whined.

"Stop it," her smile was wide. "Come on, I'll see you tomorrow." Draco rolled his eyes. "In _class_."

"That's good enough." She insisted. He wrapped his hands around her waist. "Spend the night in the dungeons with me."

Harry couldn't help but gasp. He prayed they hadn't heard. They didn't seem to.

She pressed her arms up against his chest. "Absolutely not. That is most indecent."

Draco nibbled the top of her ear. "Breaking my heart Granger."

Hermione laughed some more.

Harry was going to be sick. Ron tugged at his shirt but he nudged him away. Harry couldn't breathe. How could Hermione Granger be with Draco Malfoy? It made no sense. Was it because they had been paired up in potions? All this because of one stupid decision on Slughorn's part? Things would never be the same after this. Hermione. His best friend. Why didn't she tell him?

"Harry, we have to go now or they'll see us."

Harry scrambled to get up and followed Ron back to their room.

"Well," Ron said, after a designated period of awkward silence, "I definitely didn't see that coming."

"We have to talk to her."

"Well we can't very well stroll right up to the girls room can we?"

Harry sat on his bed, leaning his chin on his knuckles. "Why wouldn't she tell us?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess she told Ginny. Must've been what they were being all secretive about. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she seems to have found somebody. But bloody hell did it have to be Malfoy?"

"I don't trust him." Harry said severely.

"I'm with you on that one mate."

"No matter what we can't tell anyone about what we saw. We have to talk to her first."

"Right," Ron said, "Not a soul."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Surprise! Enjoy and don't forget to favorite :) Happy reading ^~^**

Hermione woke with a sudden jolt. Draco's chuckle vibrated against his chest. She looked up at him groggily.

"Fall in your dream, Mione?"

She murmured and rested her head back on his chest, her eyes closed. "Maybe." He kissed the top of her head. She smiled and nuzzled him some more. He rubbed her arm up and down, "Come on Sleepy, we gotta get going soon." She hugged him tighter and let out a large sigh. "Do we have to?" He squeezed her shoulder. "Unless you want to get locked up in the library." She sighed again. "No I suppose not."

"Hey now," he said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You just make a really great pillow."

"After everything we've been through, is that all I am? A pillow?" Hermione laughed and shook her head. "You're so annoying Malfoy." He pulled her close, so that their lips were just a breath apart. "You're worse, Granger." She pecked him on the lips and rolled her eyes.

He stood up off the couch and stretched out his arms. It showed off his muscles beautifully, and Hermione couldn't help but stare. She rested her head back and smiled. She had just had a nap, she had a great boyfriend, and she had eaten chicken for dinner. Things were good.

"How are the nightmares?" he asked, picking up his book. "Not as bad," she said, still smiling. He smiled back at her. "Good."

"What about yours?" she asked. He shrugged. "I mean they're definitely not as bad as they used to be." She went up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "They start fading." She told him, "I promise."

"Ours are a bit different, Mione." She scrunched up her features. "How so?" He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"If you tell me, maybe I can help-" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard on the lips. Hermione forgot to breathe. "You're all I need Granger." He brushed her hair behind her ear and her cheeks reddened.

* * *

When Hermione entered the common room, something seemed off. Harry and Ron were seated on the couch, as though they had been waiting for her to arrive. "How was your day Hermione?" Harry asked, his voice somewhat stiff. Hermione took the seat across from them and made a funny face. "Fine, I guess."

"Where were you just now?"

Hermione yawned. "The library."

"And why were you with Draco Malfoy?"

Hermione made a face. "What do you mean?"

Ron sighed and rolled his eyes. "Harry's been using the map to spy on you."

Hermione looked straight at Harry, her face solid. "You what?!"

Harry held up his hands defensively. "I was worried about you! And then I saw you with Draco and I thought-"

"He's my potions partner Harry. Some of us like to do actual research for class. Not that you two would understand any of that. How dare you?"

Suddenly Seamus entered the common room. "Hey Hermione!" he said, jumping into the seat next to her. "Is it true you're shagging Malfoy?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. She couldn't seem to muster a sound.

"Seamus! Goddamnit." Ron blurted.

"You told him?" Harry screeched.

"I didn't know what to do! I figured I'd ask around a bit, just a few people-"

"Not a soul Ron! Remember?"

"Someone please tell me what's going on." Hermione's voice was small and dry.

"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry said, "it's just, we saw you."

"Saw me…" Hermione shook her head, running her hands through her hair, "Saw me what?"

"You and Draco. Kissing." Ron blurted.

The silence that hung in the air after that could only be described as 'uncomfortable.'

"I have to go." She said finally.

As she rushed down the halls, she didn't care how loud she was. The taps of her feet echoed and she kept a steady rhythm, trying to focus her thoughts. One foot in front of the other, she thought. _One, two, step. Keep running._ She finally stopped at the base of some stairs; she didn't fully know where she was and she didn't care. Her mind was buzzing. Without running to keep her focused, every possible thought was flooding her brain. She pulled out her phone, trying to catch her breath.

September 29 9:48pm

 **Hermione:** Harry and Ron found out. They saw us. It won't be long before all of Gryffindor knows.

 **Draco:** I know. Some Slytherins were talking about it today.

 **Hermione:** What?

 **Draco:** Don't panic. It'll be fine. I promise.

 **Hermione:** We're going to be hounded. You know that right?

 **Draco:** Do you want to just call it a rumor?

 **Hermione:** Not really…

 **Draco:** It's about time everyone knew anyway

 **Hermione:** Yeah I guess

 **Draco:** Just breathe. Where are you?

 **Hermione:** I don't know. At the bottom of some stairs.

 **Draco:** Just take a few breaths and go back to your room. Get some sleep love. It'll be better in the morning.

 **Hermione:** I just don't feel like seeing anyone.

 **Draco:** You know the dungeons are always open for you ;)

 **Hermione:** Stop that. You can't make me smile when I'm in panic mode

 **Draco:** Sure I can

 **Hermione:** Promise it'll be better tomorrow?

 **Draco:** Promise.

As much as Hermione would have liked to believe him, she knew it simply wouldn't be. She made her way back to the common room, ignoring all the questions and words that were thrown at her, and when she got up to her room, she slammed the door. But even then she couldn't find peace. The girls who shared her room crowded around her, wide-eyed.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Forget that! How is he in bed?"

"He looks strong! He's strong isn't he?"

"You're so lucky Hermione!"

"Does he have a soft side? He like hardly ever talks these days-"

"HEY!" Ginny's shout was loud enough to shake the room.

"Give her some space, yeah?"

Hermione sighed as Ginny brought her in for a hug. "I'm sorry my boyfriend is such an asshole." Ginny said.

"It's not your fault." Hermione said, "This was bound to happen at some point."

"As soon as I get the chance I'm ripping up that stupid map. Harry just gets so obsessed."

Hermione sighed. "Ron wasn't too big of a help either."

Ginny nodded, agreeing.

"What am I going to do?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Girl, if you've got it, flaunt it. And trust me, Draco is something you definitely want to flaunt." Hermione smirked, trying to hide her smile. "Fine. I think I just need to sleep. It'll be better tomorrow right?"

"Of course!" Ginny told her, smiling genuinely.

It wasn't. By the next morning, all of Hogwarts was buzzing with the new piece of gossip. As Hermione entered the dining hall for breakfast, every eye turned to look at her. The silence was unnerving. Hermione's face turned a deep purple and she hid behind Ginny as they made their way to their seats. "Don't worry about them." Ginny told her. Eventually the hushed whispering started back up again, and to Hermione, it felt like the entire hall was talking about her and Draco. She swirled her food around with her spoon. Ginny nudged her. "Cheer up, buttercup. This'll boil over soon." Hermione sighed. "I hope so." She glanced around the hall. Whispers coated the room like a blanket. She caught a glimpse of Draco. Or, the back of him really. She wondered how he was handling all of this.

"Hermione?"

She looked up at the sound of her name. When she saw who it was she looked back down, swirling her food boredly.

"I'm sorry Harry. I just don't feel like talking to you right now."

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"What about me?" Ron asked.

Hermione cringed slightly. "Even less so."

"I really am sorry, for everything."

"Oh give it a rest Ron." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Just then the room seemed to go quiet once more. Hermione tried to will herself to not look up, but she couldn't help it. The eerie silence was more than she could bear. She looked up from her bowl of soggy cereal. "What?" she said, feeling self-conscious again. Someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around and was met with Draco's lips brushing against hers, his hand on the back of her neck. "Good morning," he said, "Shall I walk you to class?" His voice echoed in the quiet of the dining hall. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Draco extended his hand out to Hermione, to help her out of her seat, and she took it, standing up rather shakily.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist and led her out of the dining hall. It wasn't until they were out that Hermione felt she could fully take a breath. "Sorry," he said, once they were a good distance away, "But all those stares were starting to creep me out." Hermione laughed. "I know. I felt the same way. It was like they all turned into zombies."

"Crazy what gossip will do to people."

"It's not really gossip though," Hermione said sheepishly.

He kissed the top of her head. "You're right."

"I hope you haven't been harassed too much." She said.

He shrugged. "Not really. Some of the guys were surprised but nothing really worth harassing over."

Hermione looked up at him, confused. "Really?"

He looked down at her, his expression perfectly average. "Well, yeah. I told you it's not a big deal. Not in Slytherin anyway."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I wish I could say the same about Gryffindor."

"Is it that bad?"

"Girls are different. They want to know everything."

"Well then," Draco said, bumping her playfully, "I'm glad I'm not you."

She bumped him back, smiling, "Yeah I bet."

She sighed as they approached her class. "Well, this is me. I'll see you in Charms?"

He nodded and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you then."

She couldn't help but watch as he walked away, smiling stupidly to herself, and finally mustering up the energy to open the door to her classroom.

This was going to be a long day.


	16. Chapter 16

"Remember, no name calling. Even if they're rude."

Draco chuckled, "Hermione, I know how to behave myself."

"Yes, I know, but I don't want anything to go wrong."

"It's just breakfast. People will be too busy eating to talk to me."

"Draco. People will stop eating to talk to you."

"Ok Hermione," he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Breathe. And shut up."

She pressed her lips together, slightly annoyed but took a deep breath. Her anxiety was definitely getting the best of her. But what was she supposed to do? Everyone knew about them now. And the questions were relentless. Everywhere they went people would stare and whisper. Stare and whisper, stare and whisper. It had become routine. She didn't know where to turn. She knew where she wanted to turn. But it had been days since she had spoken to Harry or Ron. And it was getting weird. They were her best friends. She had never gone so long without speaking to them. But she was still somewhat upset. They had no right to be spying on her like that. Her hands formed into small fists. Just thinking about it got her riled up. And it would do her no good thinking about it now; she had better things to worry about. Like Draco. Sitting at her table. For the entire breakfast period.

"You know," he said, as they stood in front of the doors together, "Something is bound to go wrong."

"Thank you for those encouraging words sweetheart."

"I'm just saying. If you go in there thinking something will go wrong, and nothing does, then you're in for a pleasant surprise wouldn't you say?"

She looked up at him. "Yes I suppose so."

"Thank you Draco, for that absolutely _b_ _rilliant_ piece of advice." His voice was high pitched and he batted his eyelashes at her.

She laughed and pushed him playfully. "Stop! I don't sound like that at all."

"Sure, sure."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Thank you, Draco."

When they entered the hall together, their hands locked, every head turned to look at them. Hermione sighed. They couldn't catch a break it seemed. And having him sit next to her would only draw more attentnion.

"I'll introduce you so you know everyone's name."

"I think I'll be fine Hermione."

"I'll introduce you anyway."

They made their way to the Gryffindor table, and Hermione took her usual seat next to Ginny. She cleared her throat. "Everyone, this is Draco. Draco," she said, pointing to each respective person, "Ginny, Harry, Ron, Luna and Seamus." Draco gave a single nod and said good morning. For a long moment no one said anything. Hermione hardly poked at her food, and her breathing was rather ragged. Then Neville approached the table.

He seemed somewhat surprised to see Draco at the Gryffindor table, but smiled as he sat down. "I think it's great what you two are doing," he said, looking at Hermione and Draco, "Breaking boundaries and the like. I think it's long overdue." Hermione smiled appreciatively at him. If only more people could see their relationship the way Neville did. "Thank you Neville." She said. Draco wiped his face with a napkin and nodded at Neville. Neville returned the nod. The table fell silent once again as everyone ate their food and stared at Draco. Nothing was heard but the distant whispering and forks clanking against their respective plates.

"How tall are you?" Luna said suddenly.

Draco looked up, somewhat surprised by her question. "Six foot one," he said, "Why?"

"Just a question." She said, looking in the opposite direction.

"Don't mind her." Hermione whispered, taking a bite of her eggs.

"Can we all agree this is a bit weird?"

"Ronald." Hermione and Ginny spoke at the same time.

"What?" He put his hands up, somewhat defensive. "Let's be honest here. There's a Slytherin at our table. And not just any Slytherin. Draco Malfoy. And he's dating one of our own. How is that not weird for anybody?"

Draco cleared his throat.

"Of course it's not _normal-"_ Ginny began,

"But I think they're trying to make it as normal as possible." Neville finished.

Hermione smiled at Neville. At least someone seemed to understand. More than anything she wished she could give him a big thank-you-hug.

"I suppose it depends on your definition of normal, Ronald." Draco spoke up. Hermione's heart began to pound. Those two had never gotten along, and their tempers weren't tame by any means. If what Ron said set Draco off then this breakfast could turn into a bloody mess.

"What do you mean?"

"In a _normal_ situation, as you call it, when two people fancy each other, a relationship naturally emerges. Differences are accepted, forgiven and/or appreciated. And that's just what's happened here."

Hermione beamed. Take that, Ron. Draco spoke so eloquently, and not once did he raise his voice. She was quite proud of him. Quite proud.

"I understand that, perfectly well. It's the _why_ I get tripped up on."

"Come again?"

"Don't get us wrong, Hermione," Harry began, joining in on the conversation, "We're happy for you, truly. You two seem happy together, and that's great. That's the whole goal, if you will. What's… _difficult_ to wrap our head around is, well…"

"Well go on, spit it out." Hermione snapped, rather annoyed.

"This is Draco Malfoy. The man who's called you a mudblood too many times to count. The one who tried to kill us. I mean really, have you forgotten that we were tortured in his manor? That he was a death eater?"

The entire hall fell silent to listen in. Harry's voice seemed to have raised unconsciously. Hermione looked over at Draco, he was sitting awkwardly, with a grimace locked on his face. Was he rubbing his arm?

"People change, Harry." Hermione's voice was cut and full of pauses, as though she had a stone stuck at the back of her throat. She could feel the blood rushing past her ears. This was not going to end well, she thought.

But then she felt a familiar touch. Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and smiled at the group. "Forgiveness is the best gift Hermione has given me." He said. Hermione looked up at him, her heart fluttering. Throughout all this, this horrible e _mbarrassment_ he had remained calm, and kept his demeanor. He had certainly done a better job than she. Her face was about to burst, the awkwardness and confused anger bubbling out of her red cheeks.

"Forgiveness is the final form of love," Luna said in a voice like honey. "At least, that's what my father always says."

Draco smiled at her and took another bite from his plate. "I couldn't agree more, Luna."

Tensions seemed to even out at that point, and everyone continued merrily with their breakfast. Hermione's breathing slowly steadied as she continued to sip her pumpkin juice. Deep breath in, deep breath out. So maybe breakfast hadn't been so bad. It went relatively smoothly, she thought. It didn't stop her mind from buzzing with a million other thoughts though. How was it that her mind was always flying in multiple directions and Draco always managed to remain perfectly calm. Like a pool of water lying perfectly still.

As if on cue, Draco rested his hand on her thigh, almost as though he were silently telling her to relax. Hermione smiled and placed her hand on top of his. Yes, she thought, deep breaths. Time to relax and enjoy the moment.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly, and opened his mouth, as though to speak. "It's clear Hermione thinks very highly of you Draco," he said carefully, "And any friend of Hermione is a friend of ours." The rest of the table joined him in an awkward round of head-nodding. "Seeing as there's no class today," he continued, "A few of us were going to hang around the lake this afternoon. You two should join us."

Draco looked to Hermione, waiting for her approval. She leaned in hesitantly, dropping her fork. "I'm not so sure, I was going to catch up on some reading later today-"

"Oh do come. It'll be great fun." Luna chirped.

"I'm not much of a swimmer-" Hermione's shoulders began to scrunch up.

"We'd love to." Draco chimed in.

"What?"

"Great." Harry beamed. Hermione knew he was trying his best to mend the issues between them, and she appreciated it greatly, truly; but this breakfast had already turned into more than she had bargained for. She wasn't sure if she could endure an entire afternoon out by the lake. Not to mention she really did have reading to catch up on. She didn't want to fall behind when they were so close to graduating. And then after an entire day of frolicking pointlessly around a lake, trying to keep tensions at bay, she would have to endure dinner with the Slytherin table. Lovely, she thought.

Draco nudged her. 'Smile' he mouthed.

How was it that he could always sense when her nerves were fried? He squeezed her knee lightly and she leaned in to him. A trip to the lake it was, then.

* * *

"Well that wasn't a _complete_ disaster." Hermione groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Chin up, it wasn't so bad." Draco insisted. She shot him a look of disbelief.

He rolled his eyes at her. "You haven't even had dinner yet with my table. And we have an entire afternoon to get through. Just try and enjoy it." Hermione sighed. "At least people are sort of beginning to understand."

"I don't care if no one ever understands. So long as it doesn't get in the way of us being us."

Hermione placed her hand on his cheek. "Never." She promised.

Suddenly her eyes got wide and her face got dark. "Your friends are going to hate me." Her voice resembled that of a chipmunk. Draco chuckled. "You worry too much."

"I can't help it." She argued. "How about you worry about things, one at a time. Like the lake, you can worry about that first to your hearts content."

She sighed. "You seem to be growing on them, it shouldn't be so bad."

Draco laughed, "I didn't mean that. You and cold water don't quite get along."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't you dare try anything funny. I won't have a rerun of the beach incident." Draco grinned sneakily. "Watch your back then, Granger."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I know, I know. This update is like 3000 years late. I deeply apologize. But things have been crazy at work and they're about to get crazier. Luckily I've got the next chapter mostly finished, so I hope to update again within the week as usual. Your feedback and support is really what pushes me to write, and it's how I improve and figure out the different things you guys like to see in stories, so don't be shy and leave a comment ^^ I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who has favorited, commented and followed so far, it truly means more than you know. If I can make just one person smile with my stories, then that's all I need. As always, thank you for reading, and please, enjoy~**

Everyone had gathered at the bottom of the Gryffindor stairs, so that they could all head out to the lake at the same time. Hermione stood with Draco on one side, and Ginny on the other. As the group began to move, Ginny deliberately slowed her pace, bringing Hermione with her. "Hermione! We have a serious problem," Ginny hissed, once they were far enough from the regular group. Draco wasn't too close by, a few paces ahead, but Ginny spoke with a hushed tone regardless. "What happened?" Hermione asked, somewhat worried but dismissing it, concluding her friend was over-dramatic anyway. "There is a _giant_ hickey on your neck."

"W-what?" Hermione's hand reflexively shot up to her neck, trying to cover it up. Ginny cackled. "I'm kidding, jeez. I didn't think you'd get so nervous. Can't blame you though. I bet you two lip lock nonstop."

"Oh put a sock in it Ginny." Hermione huffed, quickening her pace to meet Draco, and slipped her hand into his. He looked down. "Well hello there," he said. "Hey," she said, smiling up at him. "You know," he began, looking at the group walking in front of them, "I'm a lot smarter than to leave you out in public with a love bite." Her cheeks flushed and she nudged him as they walked. "You heard that?" He nodded.

"She scared the crap out of me."

Draco chuckled. "You worry too much."

The group laid out a few blankets, claiming their spot in front of the lake. The atmosphere was beautiful; warm and sunny but with enough shade to relax. "You're too tense," Draco told her, peeling his shirt over his head.

"I'm not," she insisted, watching him, "I just want us all to…" her voice trailed off, as she stared at his toned chest. It was just as impressive as the first time she had seen it.

"All to?"

She shook her head, "Um, get along."

It had gotten very quiet. A few of the boys had run ahead to jump in the lake, but the girls had stopped, loitering around Hermione, trying to catch a glimpse of Draco. Ginny sat down next to her, sighing. "What I'd give for Harry to have shoulders like that…good lord." Hermione's face flushed.

"Ginny! The water's great! Hurry up!" Harry called, already in the lake. She rolled her eyes. "I'm coming I'm coming! Hold you horses!" Then, turning to Hermione, she muttered, "That boy is so impatient, honestly." Hermione laughed.

With Ginny gone, Draco took the opportunity to sit next to Hermione. "You really not gonna get in?" he asked. She shook her head. "I'm fine with my book," she insisted, "but go on ahead." Draco scrunched up his face. "If you think I'm gonna go prancing around with a bunch of Gryffindors when you're not involved, then you're poorly mistaken, my dear." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Well then why'd you agree to this stupid thing anyway?" He shrugged. "We were invited. It would've been rude to say otherwise." She shook her head, laughing. "Ok, from now on, I'll choose which Gryffindor events we go to."

"Fair enough," he said, kissing her cheek, then sprawling out on the blanket.

"Are you just going to sit there the whole time?"

"Well why not? I can work on my tan." He grinned.

"You're going to burn," she said, bored, opening her book.

He sat up, putting his hand over the page and lowering the book. He shook his head at her. "Tsk, tsk, Granger. No confidence in me at all."

She giggled, "Stop that, I want to read."

"You'd rather read than talk to me?"

"Yes. Now leave me alone."

She should have known, especially by now, that Draco Malfoy would only take this as a personal challenge. He smirked wickedly. "Fine Granger, I'll leave you be." She watched him stand up, and make his way over to the lake. She wondered if he would actually try and engage, or just tan closer to the water.

"Who's up for a chicken fight?" he called. Ginny jumped up high from in the lake, raising her hand. "Me! I love chicken fights! Harry and I will challenge someone!"

"I'll go!" Cho shouted.

"Great." Draco grinned, "Harry and Ginny versus Cho and I."

Hermione watched the two teams form, and couldn't help the bubbling anger she felt when Cho got up on Draco's shoulders. After one round, Cho toppled over, but Draco caught her so that she was only half-submerged in the water. Hermione put her book down and took off her dress, leaving everything on the blanket and walking over to the lake.

"Hermione you look hot!" Ginny called out.

She blushed a deep red. "Can I play?"

Draco smiled widely at her, "How about Cho and I versus you and Ginny?"

Hermione's hands involuntarily formed into small fists. "How about Cho and I trade?"

Ginny coughed awkwardly. Cho looked from Hermione to Draco and hobbled over to Ginny. "Yeah, that sounds great." She mumbled quickly. Hermione walked into the freezing water, jealousy nipping at her skin as she made her way to Draco.

"I thought you were just gonna sit and read," he teased.

"If you think I was gonna let Cho sit on your shoulders any longer then you're sadly mistaken."

He chuckled, crouching down so she could get on his shoulders, "That's my girl." Something about the way he said that made Hermione's heart skip a beat. Yes, she was his girl. And no one, not even Cho bloody Chang was going to change that.

* * *

"Honestly I don't know what you're so nervous about. Just relax."

"Relax? I'm about to have dinner with a bunch of _Slytherins."_

"I had breakfast with a bunch of Gryffindors."

"You're much more carefree than I am!"

Draco scratched his chin, nodding, "This is true."

Hermione twirled her fingers around nervously. He caught them. "Hey now. Deep breaths. You'll be fine. You're with me, remember?" He smiled at her genuinely, and part of her melted inside. Though they had been together for a decent amount of time now, it still felt so surreal. Draco Malfoy was her boyfriend. And she was happy. And he was happy. And more than anything, that's what counted.

The couple made their way into the dining hall, and Draco sat her down right next to him, so that their legs touched. Nearly everyone looked at her, but said nothing. She could feel her cheeks burn. Draco cleared his throat. "For those of you who don't know, this is Hermione Granger. She'll dine with us on occasion from now on." His voice was very authoritative, something she was new to hearing. It was a pleasant sort of sound, and it rang true with his title of Slytherin's Prince.

"Well then, any friend of Draco is a friend of ours," Blaise said, "Welcome to our not-so-humble table." He smirked. Hermione smiled politely and thanked him.

"Do you like Quidditch Hermione?" Pansy asked, sipping her drink.

"Watching it, yes of course. Playing it is a different story," she laughed.

"Your boy used to play," she said, nodding over at Draco.

"Not just play, dominate!" Blaise said, patting Draco on the back.

Hermione laughed, "Yes, so I'm told."

"We should get back on the field one day," Blaise suggested.

Pansy made a face, "You mean you used to play, Zabini?"

Blaise tossed a piece of bread at her, "Oh shut it Parkinson! I was one of the best players and you know it." Pansy laughed, tossing the bread back at him. "You're such a twat, Blaise."

Draco leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear, "Don't mind them. They're always like this."

"So, Hermione," Blaise began, "What's it like having muggle parents?"

"Um, well, I have nothing else to really compare it to. They love me and support my endeavors as a witch, so I can't really complain."

"What do they do for a living?"

"Oh, they're dentists."

"They tend to people's teeth." Draco added. Hermione nodded.

Blaise cocked his head to the side, looking at her. "Sounds kind of curious."

"Muggles tend to be." Pansy said, taking another sip of her drink.

"Some more than others," Hermione added, giggling.

"And both your parents do that?" Blaise asked. Hermione nodded.

"Will you join them?" Pansy questioned.

Hermione shook her head. "Probably not. It's something I've never had much of an interest in. And besides, being a dentist requires a certain degree of muggle schooling."

Pansy's eyes widened. "That sounds dreadfully boring." After taking a few bites, she added, "So what do you want to do, then?"

"My plans are to be an Auror. I applied for an internship at the Ministry not too long ago, but…we'll see how it goes."

Blaise laughed, "Typical Gryffindor. Wanting to be an Auror."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Like your aspirations are so big. What was it again? 'Be rich?'"

"It's a foolproof plan!"

Pansy groaned, then turned to Hermione. "I'm sure you'll get it. You're smart and all."

"T-thanks." Hermione said. She was surprised at how easily the Slytherins had accepted her into their circle. And it seemed to her that they were being genuinely kind to her, not just for Draco's sake. It was quite the pleasant surprise, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed at how her friends had treated Draco earlier that morning.

Draco nudged her. "You didn't tell me you applied for an internship."

She tucked her hair behind her ear shyly. "Well, it's not as though it's official or anything. I guess I just wanted to wait to see if I was chosen."

Draco smiled down at her. "Well, I'm rooting for you."


	18. Chapter 18

Over the next few days, Hermione was feeling great. Everyone seemed to be accepting the fact that she and Draco were together. Best of all, she had her best friend back. "Just answer one thing," Harry had said, "Because I need to know. What do you see in him?" She had shrugged. "He makes me happy," she said, "So I guess I see everything." Harry smiled at her. "Then that's all you need."

Things were going well. Until, of course, she was shoved against her will into an empty classroom. When she stopped spinning she realized she was surrounded by a group of Slytherin girls, with Pansy dead center. "Look, here's the thing Granger, because you really seem like a nice girl and all-"

"We just don't want you to get your hopes up, you know?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. She didn't like being interrupted.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"Draco," Pansy said, "You can't possibly think you have a real chance with him, do you?"

"We've made it work so far." Hermione said confidently.

"That's cute, really."

"It's not you that's the problem," one of the girls chipped in, "It's his momma you gotta watch out for."

"We're working on that." Hermione said, "But I appreciate your concern."

Pansy let out a cackle. "Look. Cut your losses. He's going to dump you."

"What?"

"You didn't have to say it like that Pansy."

"Well how else is she supposed to find out?"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione's head was rushing.

"Bottom line is you're not like us. We stay with our own kind."

Hermione glared at her. "Sorry Pansy, but you're not with Draco anymore, get over it."

Again she cackled. "Me? Oh god no. That's not what this is about."

"He's engaged."

"Catherine!" Pansy growled.

"Well she obviously isn't getting the damn point."

Pansy rolled her eyes. Hermione laughed. She wasn't sure how else to react. "Engaged?"

Pansy sighed. "We all are. Have been since birth. Someone like you wouldn't understand. Point is, get over him. Because you can't have him."

"Engaged to who?" Hermione's breathing got ragged. Pansy looked around, shrugging.

"Isn't it the Greengrass girl? Her father owns nearly half the banks in London." One of the girls spoke up. Hermione's heart was pounding, the blood was rushing in her ears.

"Just watch yourself. And don't underestimate Narcissa."

They all filed out of the classroom, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts.

 _He's going to dump you._

The words echoed in her head. She tried to steady herself. She sat down in one of the empty desks. She knew Draco. He wouldn't do that to her. So maybe he was engaged. It explained why Narcissa hated her so much. And she could understand why he wouldn't bring something like that up. Besides, Draco had told her himself he could date whoever he wanted. Those arranged marriages were a bunch of bogus anyway. And Draco was too stubborn to go through with something like that anyway. She knew how she felt about him, and she knew how he felt about her. So maybe this was another minor bump in the road. They could get through it. They had made it this far. She pushed all her thoughts away and made her way into Charms.

* * *

Draco's thoughts were flying in about a million different directions. Astoria had finally come of age, sealing their contract to one another. He knew what that meant, and he knew he didn't want to go through with it. But what choice did he have? He had exhausted all options. Save for one. He eyed his desk, and with a deep breath, sat down, pulling out some parchment.

 ** _Dear Mother,_**

 ** _I'm well aware of the circumstances, those have been made clear to me my entire life. However, my only request now is that you simply try and see things from my point of view. I saw the marriage you and father had, and while I loved you both I saw what it did to you, what it did to him. Surely you want me to be happy? I've found my happiness mother. And that happiness is with Hermione Granger. Please, mother. There must be some way to breach the contract. A spell, a potion, anything. Some sort of loophole. I know what I am asking is perhaps more than what is allowed of anyone, but I need your help._**

 ** _Your son,_**

 ** _Draco_**

Draco spent the rest of the day anxiously awaiting a reply. He was unfocused all day, and nearly everyone seemed to notice. When Blaise confronted him he snapped at him. He knew shouldn't have, but he was just so tired. And he didn't know what else to do. The stress of his contract with Astoria was taking over everything, and soon Hermione noticed as well.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, curling up next to him in the Room of Requirement. It had been a while since they had had some time alone. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'm fine," he said, kissing her cheek, "Don't worry about me." Hermione let out a shaky breath. He eyed her curiously. "Are _you_ alright?" She closed her eyes, relaxing on his chest. "I was just thinking today," she said, "We're a strange pairing."

"Indeed."

"Do you think we'll make it?"

There was a pause. It frightened her. She looked up at him. He was staring straight ahead blankly, his eyes dull.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? What is that supposed to mean?" Suddenly everything the Slytherin girls had mentioned rushed into her head, blurring her vision and crippling her thoughts.

"It's best not to dwell in the past," he began, rather calmly, "Or to fantasize about the future. Right now, there's no where else I'd rather be Mione. And that's good enough for me."

She stared at him in awe. With a single sentence he had managed to dismiss any and all fears. She lifted her head up, brushing her lips against his, enjoying the feel of goosebumps that spread across her arms as his breath tickled her face. She smiled at him, and rested her head on his shoulder, her lips pressed on the side of his neck. "That's good enough for me too, Draco."

* * *

The next morning, Draco received an owl.

 _D—_

 _If it means that much to you, I'll talk to the girl._

Draco's heart pounded in his ears. Did she mean Astoria or Hermione? Suddenly he regretted saying anything at all. He was pulled from his thoughts as Hermione kissed his cheek.

"I've got to go."

"How come?"

"I'm not sure. McGonagal just wanted me in her office. She said someone was here to see me." Draco raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious. "What do you think it's about?"

"I don't know," Hermione's face broke into a smile, "But I'm hoping it's about the Ministry."

Draco smiled at her, remembering her internship. "I'm sure you'll get it. They'd be crazy not to have you."

"Thanks," she said, kissing him on the cheek again, "I'll see you tonight." He wished her luck and Hermione set on her way to see McGonagal. As she entered the office, she found two women staring at her. Hermione's mouth suddenly went dry and she couldn't seem to move. "Come in, dear. Mrs. Malfoy here wanted to have a word with you." Hermione's heart caught in her throat. Mrs. Malfoy turned around in her chair and flashed her a pleasant smile. "Hello Hermione dear. I was hoping you and I could have a little chat." McGonagal offered up her study so that they could speak in private. The doors closed behind them and Mrs. Malfoy took off her white gloves.

"Sit down, I don't bite." She said. Hermione did as she was told.

"Firstly I must thank you for being such a good friend to my son. You've had quite the influence on him." She paused, but upon finding Hermione silent, continued, "However, the time has now come to end all this nonsense." She shook her hand as she said so. "You understand that my son is engaged?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "So I've been told."

"And you understand what that means, of course?"

Hermione's hands were in fists. "Draco is free to choose anyone he wants. You should know him well enough to know something as outdated as an arranged marriage won't be enough to stop him."

Narcissa gave a laugh that made Hermione's blood run cold. "Oh you poor ignorant little creature." She put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "You really don't know, do you?" Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Draco and his betrothed are now of age. Their contract is sealed. They are a wedding planner away from being married." She explained.

Hermione's face was blank. Narcissa sighed.

"Well I can understand why he didn't tell you I suppose. Are you familiar with the idea of an unbreakable vow?"

Hermione's lips were a thin line, her face suddenly pale. "Yes."

"Then you know what happens if one is broken?"

Hermione nodded her head, feeling as though she might pass out. "Yes."

"These 'outdated' engagements as you called them fall along the same lines. Should Draco choose to stray, he'll die." The way she said it was unnervingly simple.

Hermione couldn't breathe. She just stared at Narcissa, her blood cold.

"I'm sorry to ruin this… _fantasy_ the two of you had," she began, walking towards Hermione, "but surely you understand now. I can't let my son throw his life away. Something tells me you don't want that for him either." Hermione stood up, her body shaking, the chair scraping the ground behind her. "Fine." She said. "I understand. Good day, Mrs. Malfoy."

Hermione felt numb. And strangely cold. People pushed past her in the hallway. She didn't care. She didn't even see any of them.

"Hermione!"

Someone was calling out to her. But it sounded faded. She kept going, pushing through the crowd. She needed air. She needed air now. Before she could even realize it her feet began to jog and then run. Yes. She was running. And she was going fast. She ran all the way out to the lake before she finally stopped. Her lungs were burning and her mouth was dry. She didn't know if the water in her eyes was from the wind whipping her face or if she was crying. She heard footsteps in the grass. No. God. She just wanted to be alone. She wiped her eyes.

"Hermione." Draco was out of breath. "I didn't know you could run so fast," he chuckled to himself. "I heard my mother was here. Did she talk to you about anything?"

Hermione turned around, the tears falling freely now from her face.

"Whoa hey!" He ran up to her, grabbing her shoulders, "Whatever it is I'm here. We'll get through it." She shrugged him away.

"What…" her voice was shaking, "Why would you do this to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're engaged! You- you knew we wouldn't- just why-there was no chance! I don't understand-"

"Whoawhoawhoa. Ok, slow down. I can explain."

"You can't though!"

"Hermione."

"What." She spat out.

He took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm technically engaged."

"We're done Draco."

"Hey! That's not fair." He grabbed her arm. She looked down at his hand. His dark mark looked so prominent somehow. As though she had only been semi-seeing it before. As though she hadn't fully been seeing Draco until now. She felt like throwing up.

"I've been engaged since birth. It wasn't up to me. And it means nothing to me. You're all that matters."

"It's not up to you. It's not up to anyone. If you don't marry her, you'll die."

Draco cringed. "So she told you that part, did she?"

"Draco," Hermione was choking on her words, unable to control her tears. "What did you think was going to happen?"

"I don't know." He pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly, like he was afraid she would disappear. He buried his face in her hair. "I don't know." The words were muffled.

Hermione pulled away, and wiped her face. "Well," she said, "I guess that's it then." Draco shook his head. "No, Hermione, don't do this. We can fight it."

"What's there to fight, Draco? You either die or you live. It's the ultimate ultimatum."

"There's gotta be some way around this."

Hermione shook her head, smiling sadly. "I'll miss you. Please know that."

"Stop it."

"Truly. We had a good run, while it lasted."

"Hermione. Stop."

"We can still be friends." She gave another weak smile and sniffled.

"Don't." he shook his head, "Just don't."

She put her hand on his cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips before turning around and walking away.

"So that's it then? You won't fight for us?" he shouted at her.

She faced him once more. Her voice stayed steady and even. "This is me fighting for us. I don't know what I would do if you were gone." The more she looked at him the more her eyes began to sting. "You know, when this all started I thought of us as Romeo and Juliet, you know? I just wasn't counting on the death thing to actually happen." She tried to laugh but it came out sounding distorted.

"Hermione…" He walked back up to her, wiping the stray tears that had fallen from her eyes. "We can figure something out." He hugged her tight.

"So maybe I have to marry her. There's nothing that says I can't be with you too."

She looked up to him, her face painted with sadness, "A long standing affair? Draco. No one would respect that. _I_ wouldn't respect that."

Draco held onto her with shaking hands, feeling the hope slip through his fingers.

"Marry her Draco. Just promise you won't leave me alone." She buried her face in his chest.

He guided her chin with his knuckles so that she was forced to look at him. "I'll do whatever you say Hermione," his eyes were clear, just then, still grey but with more light in them than she had ever seen before, "I love you."

Hermione could physically feel her heart shattering into a million pieces, and she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Please just never stop being my friend," she said, "No matter what. I can't lose you." Her voice cracked and her arms trembled as she hugged him tightly. Draco sighed and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Alright. If that's what will make you happy." She hugged him tightly. "It will."

"Then that's what we'll be," he said, "Just friends."

 **A:N/ My heart...it breaks...let me know what you all think ;) Don't panic this isn't the end. Scared ya though, didn't I? Thanks for reading~**


	19. Chapter 19

One year later…

Hermione stood in front of the mirror, a porcelain-like face staring back at her. The doll looked somewhat sad. As though painted in nostalgia. Her hair was pulled back, in a neat and classic shape, held by a small band covered in crystals that sparkled when she moved. Her skirt was so wide, she could lift her feet and remain upright. The white material hugged her waist in a criss-cross pattern. Her hands neatly folded in front of her as she cocked her head, not recognizing the figure before her. How did it get this far? And so quickly? She took a deep breath. Her pink lips shimmered. She didn't like it. Nor did she like the white. She had always preferred champagne. Or even a blush. Not this blinding white. There was a knock at the door. She jumped.

"Hermione,"

She ran to the door to hold it closed.

"Please don't come in, its bad luck," her words tumbled out of her mouth.

"No no, of course not. I just wanted to say I love you. And I can't wait to marry you darling."

She gave a weak smile, then realized he could not see her. "Yes, thank you, now please go before someone sees."

"Alright, alright. See you in a bit." His fading footsteps confirmed he had gone. She took another deep breath and made her way back to the mirror. The dress made a ruffling sound as her train dragged behind her. It was a mess to try and carry.

She sat down. The dress was heavy. And the heels squeezed her feet. She sighed, examining her neck. The thin necklace her fiancé had given her rested there. Her fingers traced the thin line. And for just a moment she wondered what it'd be like to marry another man instead. But she shook the thought quickly from her mind. Because that simply would not be proper, two hours before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. But still…it was a nice daydream. So much had happened in such a short time. They had graduated. She had gotten the internship at the Ministry, but she didn't take it. Somehow, it no longer seemed worth it. So she stayed home that summer. Which was where she was reunited with Mark. Before she knew it he was down on one knee. Why did she say yes?

The door burst open with such a sound she twitched in her seat. Draco stood, an impressive figure in the small door frame. He looked at her and seemed to gasp, admiring her beauty. He shut the door quietly, and locked it.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, watching him make his way to her.

"There's still time. Please Hermione. You don't have to do this."

She looked away. "Yes I do."

He held her hand. She looked down, seeing her small hands in his.

"You know I do." She insisted.

"You don't have to. We can run away, right now."

"And what would that prove?"

"That you love me."

"It doesn't make a difference if I love you or not."

"You love him too, don't you?"

Her teeth clenched. What did he want from her? Angry tears rose to her eyes.

"Please," he kneeled, her hand still in his. He pulled out a little black box. Her heart pounded hard against her chest.

"What are you-"

"Marry me." She pulled her hand away and stood up. Her head hurt.

"Stop it. I'm serious. Does commitment mean nothing to you? You're engaged. I'm engaged. Your wedding is two weeks from now! And mine in less than two hours. It's over. Stop twisting the knife, Draco. Why can't you see that?" she brought her hand up to her forehead. He pulled her close, despite the poufy skirt's resistance.

"Right now, I only see you." She couldn't breathe. It was the perfect moment. The perfect last moment.

"Draco you'll die."

"I don't care."

Molly came yelling from across the hall.

"You have to go," her voice was a rushed panic.

"Come with me." He urged.

"No."

"Please."

"Go!"

With a sharp crack he was gone, and Molly barged through the door. "Hermione! Oh Hermione you look gorgeous! I have your bouquet for you honey, don't you worry." As she got closer, Molly noticed the smudged makeup. "Oh heavens child! Have you been crying?"

"To be honest I'm terribly nervous." She lied, wiping the stray tears from her eyes. Molly gave a hearty laugh and pulled up a chair. "Sit, now, let's see if we can fix you up." As Molly worked to fix her face, Hermione could only think of Draco. Where had he apparated to? What if she had gone with him? What would become of the man fated to watch her walk down the aisle?

She sighed. There were too many 'what ifs.' Draco would die if he didn't marry Astoria. Hermione didn't have a choice. The least she could do was try to move on with her own life.

"This is such a happy day." Molly began.

Oh no, she thought.

Molly stopped to look at her, pride shining in her eyes, as though Hermione were her own daughter. "You look so beautiful. You'll make Mark very happy." Hermione smiled at her. She thought so too.

 _But will he make you happy?_ Draco's voice poisoned her thoughts. She'd be happy. Enough.

* * *

Draco paced furiously in front of his fireplace. A sudden burst of floo interrupted his thoughts. Astoria stumbled to get out. She was drunk. Again. "Can't your bloody bloke get you home at a decent hour?" he growled. She gave a drunk laugh. High pitched and loud. "Sorry hubby. I figured you'd be with your slut. Oh wait, isn't she getting married today?" she hiccupped.

He slapped her hard across the face. In her drunken state she fell to the ground. "Don't you dare disrespect her. She's twice the woman you'll ever be." His voice boomed.

"And Jason's twice the man you'll ever be!" she whined.

Draco calmly walked over to serve himself fire whiskey. "I'm sure. What is it he does again? Oh, yes. He's a waiter."

"He's decent and he's honest! He loves me!"

"He loves your money."

"I don't care how poor he is!"

"Because you're living off of your dead father's money. And soon you'll live off of mine. If you don't kill me first." He took a large gulp.

"Oh shut up!" she threw her purse at him. "Shut up shut up shut up!" With hands over her ears she stormed out of the room.

Draco leaned over the table and looked at the clock. One hour and twenty-seven minutes until she was lost to him forever.

He closed his eyes. She looked beautiful. An angel in white. But her eyes were tinted with sadness. His heart tugged at the fact that it was his fault. His hands slammed down on the table. He understood his side of the problem. He was betrothed to Astoria since before they had been born. As were his parents. And his parents' parents. And everyone before that. But Hermione? She was free. Mostly. But by the time he had gotten back to her it was too late. She was already engaged. To a bloody muggle.

Draco had to be at the wedding. Even if he wasn't waiting for her at the end of the aisle. He had been formally invited, after all. He grabbed his coat, some floo, and was off.

Upon arriving, he stumbled into the muggle. "Hey! Glad you're here. Hermione will be happy to see you." He gave an enthusiastic handshake.

"Right," Draco nodded, "Congratulations."

"Thanks man." He gave the goofiest smile. Draco made his way through the hall and out into the garden. A small ceremony, no doubt. That's all they had space for.

* * *

"Alright then, you got everything you need?" Hermione couldn't breathe. It couldn't possibly be happening already could it? She was almost sure she had another forty-five minutes of freedom. "I, um, I think so." Molly was grinning from ear to ear.

"My mother-"

"Tending to the caterers. Don't you worry, dear. We have it under control."

Hermione went through her checklist. Her hair was fine. Her face was made up again, thanks to Molly. She had her something old, her mother's bracelet hanging loosely on her small wrist. Her something new, her dress. Something borrowed, the sparkling headpiece which belonged to Fleur. Something blue. She checked the inside fabric of her sweetheart neckline. It wasn't there. Her eyes grew wide and she began to sweat. At that moment her mother entered the room.

"I don't have something blue." Hermione breathed.

"What's that dear?"

"I can't get married. I-I I don't have the blue. The seamstress, she…she didn't…I can't." she was starting to sweat. Her head was pounding. She was really panicking now.

"Oh it'll be quite all right deary, it's just muggle superstition-"

"It's tradition! This is important to me!" Hermione snapped.

Molly was taken aback.

"Sweetheart. Take a breath." Her mother insisted.

"I'm sorry, I just…I need everything to be perfect. I can't. Not without the blue."

"I'm not sure we have anything to substitute…" Molly began. Hermione thought she may begin to cry once more. The corset suddenly felt very tight. She shook her head.

"We'll take a look around the house sweetheart." Her mother insisted. Both she and Molly left the room together.

Hermione tried to pace around the room. But it felt so small. She felt so powerless. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Why hadn't she checked in advance? Where would she find something blue on such short notice?

She collapsed on the ground. The skirt spread like a cloud around her. Her hands were placed perfectly in her lap as she stared at the ground, trying to breathe. Maybe it really wasn't too late for her to back out. She could disappear right now. But where would that leave Mark? No, she couldn't do that to him. This is what was expected of them. And she'd complete it, as promised. Even if her heart didn't agree. But she wouldn't exactly be unhappy either. He was a good man. He truly was. And she'd forget Draco soon enough. Yes. Soon enough.

Draco had already drunk nearly all the champagne and was not in the least bit tipsy. If anything he felt as though his senses were sharper. The ceremony was due to start any minute. His hands itched. He didn't know where to put them. That was when Ginny and Harry approached him. "Good to see you Malfoy." Harry said, offering his hand. Draco shook it. "Potter." He said with a nod. Ginny smiled. "How're you doing?" she hugged him. "I'm alright." He said, swirling the drink in his glass. "Where's Astoria?" she said, looking around. "Oh, she won't be here. Got a bit sick unfortunately. We thought it best she stay home."

"Oh the poor thing! Please tell her I miss her. We haven't gone out for tea in ages!"

Harry shot him a look so as to say, 'Wives! What can you do?'

Draco assured Ginny he'd pass on the message. A few more words were exchanged and they moved on to one of the other guests. Perhaps that was why Draco couldn't stand Astoria. Despite her being an alcoholic. She was just like Ginny. Too bubbly and too annoying.

"Here we are!" Molly practically shook the walls. "Oh goodness gracious!" she nearly jumped backwards, finding Hermione still on the floor. "Get up child! You're going to wrinkle your dress!"

"Did you find something?" Hermione said, struggling to get up. The dress weighed her down. Molly had to hold her up for support.

"Alright. Now hold still." She pinned the thin blue ribbon to inside lining of her corset.

"Better now dear?" Her mother asked.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes." Her voice was shaky.

Draco did his best to avoid Lavendar and Ron at all costs. Those two were as whiny as they come. Instead he waited patiently in his seat and thought. He remembered the first time they had met. Well, officially met. How they had confided in each other. How they had become friends, and then, more than friends. And then the mess that was Hogwarts…he shook his head, and tried not to think about that part. It made his heart ache almost more than he could bear.

When Hermione emerged from the back door it was like everyone held their breath. The march began. Hermione was thankful for the obtrusive ball gown. It didn't allow anyone to see her legs shaking. Nor did it give her away. She held tightly to her bouquet. She had always hated the wedding march. It sounded so ugly to her. She could've sworn her ears were bleeding.

Draco couldn't help but to take angry breaths. He didn't exactly hate the man up at the altar. But that man was marrying Hermione Granger. And Hermione Granger would soon become Hermione Walters. And he wanted nothing more than for her to become Hermione Malfoy instead.

Hermione stared into the playful brown eyes. He smiled at her. She managed a weak smile of her own.

"Do you, Mark Walters, take Hermione Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He said, rocking back and forth on his heels.

There was a loud crack and Astoria appeared at the end of the aisle. "I object."

 **A/N: And so it continues! Ok so, school starts tomorrow and I also have a job so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. Thank you all for your support and for reading ^^ Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hello everyone. Luckily the delay wasn't too bad. Before we begin, a few comments:**

 **Hauntedpumpkin56: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it had to be done haha. I'm glad I'm able to keep you guys on your toes.**

 **A fan: I hope it wasn't too predictable ;)**

 **Guest: Thank you for reading! So far school is going well, thanks for the warm wishes :)**

 **DramioneIsReal: So glad you enjoyed it, I hope the rest of the chapters were to your liking as well.**

 **To everyone else out there, thank you so very much for reading, following and commenting. I'll be doing my best to update regularly. Now on with the show!**

* * *

Hermione's heart was stuck in her throat. Everyone turned to see Astoria. She looked rather bored at the end of the aisle. Hermione thought she might faint.

"What the hell?"

Oh god, Hermione thought.. Mark didn't know. About wizards or witches or any of it. Her mind was buzzing She tried to say something.

"On what cause?"

"On account of you don't love him. Where's Draco?" she said, sounding irritated.

Draco stood up, looking rather menacing. "Astoria. You've done enough."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up," she said and grabbed his arm, dragging him down the aisle. They got up to the front, and she took Hermione's hand, looking at Mark.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to borrow her."

"What the-"

With a strong whipping sound, the three were gone, leaving behind them a confused and shocked wedding party.

They landed in the very center of a large hall, directly in front of a grandiose set of stairs.

"Welcome to Greengrass Manor." Astoria declared boredly.

"Astoria what the hell is going on?" Draco demanded.

Astoria let out a long, dragged out sigh. "I found a loophole. I'm getting us all out of this mess."

Hermione's eyes went wide. A loophole? Could that mean…

"Why are you helping us?" Draco wanted to know.

Yes, that was a good question. Hermione suddenly grew suspicious.

Astoria scoffed. "You devil. I'm not helping _you_ I'm helping me. Being stuck with you would kill me slowly. Honestly, love," she said, turning to Hermione, "I don't quite recommend it, but it's your life."

"Hold on." Hermione said, her voice shaking.

Draco and Astoria turned to look at her.

"I-I'm engaged. You can't just break something like that off-"

"Sure you can," Astoria interjected, shrugging. "He was cheating on you anyways."

"Astoria-"

"No, Draco, shut up. I'm so sick of you interrupting. He was cheating on you anyways, love. So you might as well get rid of him. This one's got a hell of a lot more money anyway."

Hermione stood in shock, unable to formulate an intelligent sentence in her head.

"Look, we're wasting time. Do you love Draco or not? Otherwise it won't work."

Draco's face fell upon hers curiously. Hermione couldn't breathe.

"I…yes."

"Then follow me."

As they followed Astoria down a maze of hallways, Draco took Hermione's hand into his own. It had been a long time since he had done so, and it made Hermione's heart ache with nostalgia.

"I'm sorry about Mark." He whispered to her. She glanced up at him. He looked different than he had a year ago. Older. His eyes a bit sharper, colder. She wondered if it was her fault.

"Don't apologize," she smiled weakly, "I suppose deep down I knew it."

Draco took a deep breath. "I'd never do that to you."

She squeezed his hand.

"I know."

They entered a large room that appeared to be a library, but with a giant witch's brew in the center. A man Hermione had never seen before was resting on one of the far couches to the left.

"Was wondering when you'd be back." His voice echoed through the room. "Ah, Draco. Good to see you again."

"Jason." Draco replied shortly.

He jumped up upon seeing Hermione. "Ah! You must be the girl everyone keeps talking about!" He ran up to her, extending his hand. "I'm Jason. Pleasure to meet you."

"Hello." Hermione said curtly.

Astoria huffed. "Honestly, Jason. No need to swoon."

He chuckled, grabbing Astoria by the waist and kissing her cheek. "If it weren't for her we wouldn't be able to break this blasted curse, or whatever it is."

Hermione eyed him curiously. "You're a muggle?" she said.

He looked at her with a half smile. "Uh, I don't do the whole magic thing, if that's what you mean."

Hermione broke into a grin. "It's no problem! My parents are muggles."

"You don't say! How extraordinary!"

Draco's grip tightened around Hermione's hand. "Can we get on with this?"

Astoria invited them to sit on the couches as she began to explain.

"Because this is a rather crude and ancient agreement, the only way to break it is slightly barbaric."

Hermione and Draco listened intently, their linked hands resting on Hermione's poufy skirt.

"Unfortunately, the contract is binding. Draco must marry a Greengrass, and I a Malfoy. However, there is the blood ritual which would allow you and Jason to become part of the family tree."

Hermione cringed. When she was younger, there had been certain blood brother and blood sister games. She had never taken part in them, and she wasn't quite sure what one of actual magical bonds would require.

"How do we do it?" Draco asked, his face hard and expressionless.

"I have everything ready," she said, motioning to the pot behind her, "all it's missing is our blood. We cut into our palms, swear the oath, and drink the brew.

Hermione cringed again. "We have to drink each other's blood?"

Astoria sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I just said that didn't I? Honestly Draco I don't know what you see in her."

"Watch it Astoria," he growled.

Jason chuckled. "Now, now. Let's just get this over with. We'll be out of each other's hair soon enough."

"Fine," Astoria said, pulling Jason up, "You and Draco first."

"Why us?" Jason muttered.

"Because she's over there trembling like a damn branch in a storm."

Hermione glared at Astoria. She knew that this meant she could be with Draco, that it was finally a way for them to be together, but something about Astoria made her anxious. What if it didn't work?

Draco squeezed her hand once more, to reassure her, and got up, making his way over to the cauldron. Astoria ladeled the mixture into two elegant cups, and pulled out a knife.

"Three drops from your right hand and not a bit more." She said.

The boys did as they were told, slicing their palms and letting the blood spill into the vessels.

They exchanged the glasses, and locked hands, as though they were about to give one another a handshake.

"Do you, Jason, vow to uphold the Malfoy name?" Draco's voice had a certain darkness to it Hermione had never heard before.

"To uphold the Malfoy name, I do so solemnly swear."

At this they both drank, emptying the contents of the cup, and a cold air seemed to surround them.

"Come on wedding girl," Astoria said, tapping on Hermione's shoulder, "Our turn."

Hermione broke into a cold sweat. "How do we know this will even work? What if it doesn't?"

Astrid gave yet another irritated sigh. "The contract expires in two weeks. If Draco and I don't drop dead, then we'll know it worked."

Draco cleared his throat. "That means you and I have to be married before then, Hermione."

"Oh." Her answer came out quicker than she had anticipated. It wasn't that she didn't love Draco. Of course she wanted to be with him. But two weeks was dreadfully fast. She had to break off her engagement with Mark. To go off and marry someone else in such a short period of time was questionable at best. Not to mention she and Draco hadn't had a whole lot of contact in the last year or so. Things were different now. Suddenly she couldn't breathe.

"Give us a moment." Draco said.

"Are you kidding me? We're wasting time-"

"Astoria." His voice was demanding. "A moment."

"Two minutes. That's it." She warned, tugging Jason out with her, leaving Hermione and Draco to themselves.

Once the door was closed Draco grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. He said nothing, and then pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly.

"I love you," he said.

She could feel his chest vibrate with each word, and she could no longer hold back the tears that had built up behind her eyes for the last year. They fell in long streaks, Hermione sobbing into Draco's chest. She wrapped her arms around him, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

He stroked her hair. "And I'll still love you, if you decide not to do this. I'll love you till my last breath."

She looked up at him, not caring about her puffy eyes or her ruined makeup, and threw her arms around his neck, jumping into him. He grabbed hold of her waist and spun her around, the skirt of her dress like a flower petal as she twirled.

"I won't lose you." She sniffled, regaining her courage. "I love you."

Without a moment's hesitation he pressed his lips against hers, enveloping them both in passionate desire.

"I missed you, Mione." He said, lowering her back onto the ground and wiping away her tears.

She took a deep breath. "I missed you too, Draco."

With a large whine, the door opened once more and Astoria entered, trailed by Jason.

"Can we get this over with now?"

Hermione nodded.

With trembling fingers Hermione took the knife, slitting her palm and letting the droplets of blood cascade into the glass. She winced as she shook Astoria's hand, the cut fresh and sensitive.

"Do you, Hermione, vow to uphold the Greengrass name?"

"To uphold the Greengrass name, I do so solemnly swear."

They drank, and Hermione did her best not to gag.

And just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.


	21. Chapter 21

"How are you feeling?"

Hermione laughed nervously. "A bit weird to be honest…this is rather surreal."

Draco nodded.

She sighed.

"This'll never come out." she said randomly.

He followed her eyes, noticing a few stray drops of blood on the skirt of her dress.

"Oh." His voice caught in his throat, "Sorry."

She shook her head quickly, taking his hands in hers. "I kinda hate this dress."

He gave her a strange sort of smile.

"You two are pretty awkward for a couple who's about to get married." Astoria teased.

Draco grinded his teeth, trying to ignore her.

"Astoria? Would you happen to have a spare change of clothes?" Hermione asked.

"Do I look like a charity?" she snarled.

"Astoria." Draco's voice was cold.

Astoria scoffed. "I don't owe you two anything. I don't even know why you're still here."

Draco was about to start an argument, but Hermione spoke up.

"She's right," she said, then, turning to Draco, "Shall we head out?"

Draco looked from Hermione to Astoria. "Fine."

* * *

Hermione was in one of the Malfoy bathrooms, wiping the heavy makeup off her eyes, Draco waiting for her in the guest room. With her dress off and now dressed in just a plain shirt and pants, she felt much more comfortable. She stepped out of the bathroom, sighing and patting her face with a towel. "Well," she said, "We have a lot to figure out."

He opened his arms, inviting her in.

She sighed, falling into him and dropping the towel on the bed. He kissed the top of her head.

They sat like that for a while, enjoying the feel of finally being together. Draco pressed his lips against her neck, and the goosebumps that had been absent for nearly a year reappeared along her skin. She shivered, nuzzling into him.

"Draco Malfoy." She mumbled into his chest, breaking the silence. The vibrations of her voice tickled him, and he laughed softly.

"Yes, Hermione Granger?"

She looked up at him. "Yes."

He scrunched up his features. "Yes, what?"

"Earlier today, you asked me to marry you. That's my answer."

He scooped her up in his arms and pressed his lips fiercely on hers, not letting her go. She laughed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly.

She inhaled, taking in his scent, her eyes fluttering closed. It had been so long. Too long. And after everything they had been through, she refused to let go ever again. She pulled back, so that she could look at his sharp, grey eyes.

"What?" he whispered.

She shook her head, smiling. "Nothing…I just…" she blushed, looking down quickly before returning her gaze to his, "I just really love you."

He smiled at her before dropping down to one knee, and again pulled out the black box. "I've had this for a long time…" he admitted.

She smiled down at him and wriggled her fingers. "Then no more use in waiting, is there?"

He chuckled, slipping the elegant ring on her finger, and stood back up to kiss her deeply.

He kissed her again a few more times, before sighing somewhat sadly. "We really do have a lot to figure out."

She nodded. "We should probably deal with Mark and my parents first."

Draco agreed.

"Together," she smiled, extending her hands. He took them, and they apparated.

Upon arriving in the middle of her small living room, Mark let out a shrill scream.

"Oh Hermione," her mother said, putting her hand over her heart, "You had us worried sick."

Hermione made her way over to her mother, hugging her. "I know. I'm fine though."

They pulled away and all eyes fell on Draco. He cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger." He said curtly.

"Hermione what the hell is going on!" Mark was curled up on the couch, unable to wrap the concept of magic around his head.

Draco pulled out his wand, ready to erase his memory.

"Draco wait!" Hermione said.

He looked at her. "It's policy, Hermione. You know that better than anyone."

"Hermione…" Mark's voice was shaking with fear, "Wh-what does that mean? What does all of this mean? Please don't let him hurt me."

She smiled sadly, "It won't hurt, Mark. I promise." She nodded to Draco, who enacted the spell.

With Mark taken care of, and safely sent on his way home in a cab, Draco and Hermione were able to sit down with her parents to explain everything.

There was a slight pause as they finished their story, and Mrs. Granger was the first to speak up.

"Well…that is all…rather exciting." Mrs. Granger cleared her throat. "Isn't it?" she nudged her husband.

Hermione's father groaned and massaged his temple. "I don't like this. I know things are different with…magic…" he paused, looking at his daughter. "Hermione. Is this what you want?"

She squeezed Draco's hand tightly and nodded at her father. "Yes." She said simply.

Hermione's mom clapped her hands happily, her bangles jingling as she did so. "Well I've always liked you! Welcome to the family!" She got up to hug Draco.

"Well hold on they're not married yet!" her father interrupted, then looked at Hermione. "You're not married yet, are you?"

Hermione laughed shaking her head. "No, not yet."

"Oh but you will be!" Mrs. Granger was excited now. "We'll plan a wonderful wedding! Oh! That reminds me! You really should update Harry and Ron, sweetheart. They were going mad, fussing over you."

Hermione blushed, slightly embarrassed at her irresponsibility. "I'll owl them soon," she said softly, "But mother. We don't want anything big. It has to be rather soon…and simple." She explained.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Granger asked.

Draco cleared his throat, and began to explain the concept of an unbreakable vow. Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger seemed to pale.

"I don't like this Hermione…" Mr. Granger began.

Hermione placed her hands over his and squeezed. "It's fine, Daddy. I can take care of myself."

He looked from his daughter to Draco, and spoke seriously. "You take care of her, you hear me?"

"Oh darling," Mrs. Granger nudged her husband roughly. "No use in scaring the poor boy." She smiled kindly at Draco.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you, Mrs. Granger."

"Well then!" she seemed extra perky, "Shall we start planning this wedding of yours?"

"Um-"

"Actually, mother. We have a few things to handle first…we still have to speak to Draco's mom…"

Mrs. Granger nodded. "I should like to meet her." She said.

"Perhaps at the wedding." Draco cringed.

After sending an owl out to Harry and Ron, Hermione and Draco apparated to Malfoy Manor. Hermione wasn't counting on Narcissa being in the exact room they had landed in, though.

"Draco?" Narcissa said coolly.

"Mother."

"What's she doing here?" she stared menacingly at Hermione.

"W-we're getting married." Hermione spoke up.

Narcissa noticeably gasped. "You insolent little—did you not understand anything—"

"Mother!"

Her head snapped towards her son, angry tears lining her eyes.

"Please, sit down. Let us explain."

Narcissa clenched her hands into fists and let out a shaky breath. "Very well." She said softly.

* * *

They sat down, making themselves comfortable, and a house elf brought them some tea and light pastries.

After slowly and carefully explaining every detail to Narcissa, they sat in silence for an extended period, as she deliberated it over, taking long sips of her tea. She sighed and looked at Draco. "You really love her?"

"I do."

She placed her tea down carefully, a small clink being heard as it hit the plate.

"Take a walk with me, Ms. Granger."

* * *

"I don't hate you, despite what you might think." Narcissa began, leading Hermione out into the gardens, the space beautifully lit by the moon.

Hermione remained silent, trying to not be intimidated by her future mother-in-law.

Narcissa sighed. "Draco was always a rambunctious sort of child. He was impossible to handle. Spoiled rotten, though I know that's my own fault." She laughed, as though recalling a memory, "He really was hopeless, getting himself into all sorts of trouble."

"I can picture that," Hermione smiled softly.

"He looked up to his father," Narcissa's smile faded, "And that was something even I couldn't protect him from. My husband had a very low tolerance for…everything." She cleared her throat. "I was worried Draco might end up the same way."

Hermione nodded, recalling how cruel Draco had been before the war.

"It was our duty to serve the Dark Lord. It was not the life I wanted for him. Things got complicated. Life always gets complicated. Draco is all I have left now."

"You wouldn't be losing him." Hermione said carefully.

Narcissa looked at her. "I will, if this, if what you did, doesn't work. And if it doesn't…I won't ever forgive you."

Hermione cleared her throat. "It will work."

Narcissa pressed her lips together. "He cares about you deeply. Don't think me so blind as to be unable to see that. And you've changed him. For the better. He smiles now." She said it slowly, as though she wasn't sure how much information to disclose.

Hermione took Narcissa's hand in her own. Narcissa seemed surprised at the sudden contact.

"He's changed me too," she began, "And it's crazy. I know that. He knows that. But this will work. I won't let him die."

Narcissa gave a faint smile. "Very well."

* * *

The ceremony was a small one, with just their parents and themselves. It was held the day before the vow was set to end, so that they could all be together when the contract expired. Hermione wore a simple white and gold summer dress, and carried a bouquet of baby's breath flowers. It was a happy occasion, for the most part, but it was shadowed by the tension and anxiety of what midnight would bring.

As the marriage was sealed, the room broke into smiles and Hermione hugged both her parents and Narcissa.

"Well now we're all officially family." Mrs. Granger beamed.

"Yes," Narcissa said, "It would seem so."

Shortly after, they all arrived at Malfoy Manor, and waited for Astoria and Jason. Once they were here, all that would be left to do was wait until midnight.

"Well," Astoria said as she arrived, stepping out of the fireplace, "This'll be exciting. Either these will be my last hours in this world or the first hours of a new life."

"Can you please stop being so dramatic? You put everyone on edge." Draco snarled.

Astoria rolled her eyes and looked about the room. "Narcissa. Lovely to see you again."

Narcissa gave a single nod. "As to you, my dear."

"You must be Hermione's parents," Astoria said, offering her hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

Hermione's parents greeted her and Jason, and some food was brought out while they all sat in anxious waiting.

"Gosh I'm so nervous," Hermione admitted, twirling her fingers around.

"Don't be," Astoria said, "It'll work."

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand in encouragement, the diamond of her ring digging into his palm.

"For better or worse, yeah?"

She smiled at him. "I'm definitely hoping for better, in this particular situation."

He let out a mangled chuckle. "Yeah. Me too."

As the clock read 11:58, everyone seemed to hold their breath.

"Now or never." Astoria muttered.

Hermione held onto Draco tightly, burying her face in his neck. "I don't regret it," she whispered, "Any of it."

He kissed her hair, rubbing her arm and he pulled her in closer. "Neither do I."

11:59

"I'll stay with you." He said suddenly.

She inhaled sharply. "I believe you."

As the minute hand ticked over to the twelve, the elegant chimes rang about the room. Astoria and Draco sat just as they were, frozen with fear.

Hermione laughed, covering her mouth with her hands, tears slipping from her face. "Th-that's it then! It worked!"

Draco cupped her face, sparing no time in kissing her.

Astoria scoffed, a few tears slipping from her own eyes. "Geez, that was anticlimactic."

Jason enveloped her. "I'm glad for it." He told her.

Narcissa let out a shaky breath, jumping slightly as Mrs. Granger held her hand. "I can't express how relieved I am."

Narcissa nodded, smiling weakly at the kind woman. "As am I."

Hermione laughed again, embracing Draco happily. _Finally_ , she thought, _finally_.

* * *

Draco stirred awake, noting the anxious vibes seeping from his beloved wife.

"Can't sleep?"

Hermione jumped slightly upon hearing her husband's voice, and she turned over to face him. She had been tossing and turning, but she had been doing it carefully, trying not to wake him.

"I'm just nervous. He's never been away for so long."

"Hermione," He pulled her into his arms, embracing her. "He's half Malfoy and half Granger. He'll do just fine."

She sighed into his broad chest. "I keep feeling like maybe we forgot something. Are you sure it's all packed?"

Draco chuckled, caressing his wife's messy curls. "We went over your list four times, Mione."

"Maybe I'll get up early. Double-check one last time."

He tightened his grip on her. "Breathe, darling. You need your rest." He kissed her cheek.

"But Scorpius-"

"Leave him be, darling. We've raised him well enough, wouldn't you say?"

She murmured against his skin.

Draco chuckled, his voice vibrating against his chest. It was a feeling she loved the most. She allowed her eyes to flutter closed as she relaxed in his arms.

"Draco…" she murmured.

"Mmm?"

"Do you remember when we first met? Really met, I mean?"

"That night at the dance?"

"Mhmm." Her voice was sleepy.

He pressed his lips against her forehead. "I do."

"That was a good day."

"Yeah, it was."

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?"

"I don't know what made you decide to check on me…but I'm glad you did."

His face broke into a smile, and he embraced her once more, kissing her sweetly on the lips.

"I'm glad too."

She laughed softly, nuzzling into his chest.

"Thank you," he said, repeating her words.

"Mmm..for what?"

"For giving me the life I always wanted."

She lifted her head so that she could kiss him, their lips brushing over each other sleepily and happily.

Draco gave his wife a final kiss on the cheek before wishing her a good night. She hugged him tightly, as she did every night, and he held her lovingly, as the two fell asleep.

 _A Slytherin and a Gryffindor,_ Hermione thought, just before nodding off, _who would have guessed it?_

* * *

 **A/N: I know this took over a month to finish. I do apologize for that but I hope it was worth the wait. I can't thank you all enough for all the comments, favorites and follows. When I started this story it was just going to be a oneshot, but it turned into my first novel-esque fic. That being said, it was suggested to me that I enter this in a contest. It's under the same title on inkitt, if you guys could just go ahead and click on the little heart, I'd be forever grateful. No account is needed :) Some of my original stories are on there too, if you want to check those out :) Thank you for all of those who will take the time to do this! It's my first contest so I'm not sure what to expect haha. A big thank you to everyone, really! There's nothing better for a writer than knowing people have enjoyed what you've written. It was a long journey with this one, but I'm glad you guys stuck with me. I'm sad to see it end, but with Thanksgiving break and Winter break, there will be new stories to write and read ^^ I love you all! I especially appreciate all the kind comments and encouragements, those truly made my day. And thank you to those who I had chats with, stuff like that is always fun...I think I've talked enough for now, so I won't get any sappier, lol. Until next time~**

 **Mrs. Malfoy**


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